Spatalla barbigera Knight

An erect, rounded shrub to 0.75 m tall, with a strong main stem branching at 20 cms. Branches slender, terete, erect to ascending, covered with silvery grey imbricate leaves. Leaves acicular terete, 14-16 mm long, narrowing slightly to a petiolar region, somewhat incurved, with a permanent densely sericeous indumentum, apex mucronate. Inflorescence terminal, sessile or subsessile, narrowly cylindric, usually single and terminal, but occasionally with up to five lateral inflorescences arising round the base of main terminal inflorescence. Bracts acicular linear, 5-7 mm long, sericeous. Involucres one flowered, sessile or subsessile, pedicel not exceeding 1 mm. The three anticous bracteoles of the lower lip fused in their lower third, lanceolate acute, carinate, sericeous, 5 mm long, median bracteole slightly shorter. Posticous bracteole free, lanceolate acute, 5 mm long, sericeous. Perianth 1-9 mm long, strongly curved in bud, creamy yellow in live state. Perianth segments unequal, posticous segment erect, larger than the three anticous segments, distinctly galeate. Anticous perianth segments spreading forwards, lanate. Perianth tube 1.5 mm long, villous at top, glabrous below. Anthers sessile, ovate, 1 mm long, apical boss round, black. Style straight but curved at the top, 6 mm long. Pollen presenter an obliquely obovate, cochleariform disc. Ovary ovoid, 1 mm long, densely pubescent with long straight hairs. Hypogynous scales subulate linear, 1 mm long, hyaline. Fruits cylindric, 5-6 mm long densely villous, truncate and pedicellate at the base. Flowering takes place from May to November, due to the succession of new inflorescences which arise laterally below the main terminal inflorescence as it fades.