Spatalla argentea Rourke

An erect well branched shrub to 0.75 m with a single main stem branching at 20 cm. Branches erect, terete, puberulus, covered with ascending silvery leaves. Leaves acicular terete, mucronate, slightly spreading, ascending to incurved, 10-15 mm long, very densely sericeous, silvery. Inflorescence terminal, sessile, or with up to 4 lateral inflorescences arising at the apex of a shoot; 2-3 cm long, 1.5 cm in diam. Bracts lanceolate acute, 6 mm long, densely sericeous, silvery. Involucres 3 flowered, pedicellate, pedicel 2-3 mm long. Bracteoles free, broadly ovate acute, 4 mm long, 2 mm broad, very densely sericeous, margins ciliate. Median anticous bracteole subtends a short reduced shoot. Perianth 8 mm long, strongly curved forward in bud, perianth segments unequal. Posticous segment erect and galeate, larger than the three anticous segments. Perianth limbs elliptic, 1 mm long, lanate. Posticous perianth limb strongly galeate, larger than the three anticous limbs. Perianth claws thickly villous, the three anticous claws becoming coiled on opening. Perianth tube 1.5 mm long, villous, slightly quadrangular. Style straight, 6 mm long. Pollen presenter a dark black obliquely obovate cochleariform disc. Ovary ovoid, 1 mm long, tomentose. Hypogynous scales 1 mm long linear subulate. Fruits cylindric 6 mm long, 2 mm broad, sericeous, truncate and broadly pedicellate at the base. Flowering commences in October and continues into January.