Spatalla curvifolia Knight

An erect, rounded, rigid shrub to 1 m tall, main stem stout and woody, branching at 20 cms. Branches erect, stout, terete, 2-4 mm in diam., pubescent when young, soon glabrous. Leaves acicular terete, mucronate, straight or slightly incurved, upper surface canaliculate, 25-45 mm long, narrowing to a slender petiolar region, thinly villous when young, soon glabrous. Inflorescence pedunculate, terminal, single, peduncle 2-3 cm long; inflorescence a narrowly cylindric raceme, 3-10 cm long, 1.5 cm in diam. Bracts linear terete, canaliculate, 8-15 mm long, glabrous to sericeous. Involucres one flowered, pedicellate, pedicel 4-5 mm long, sericeous. The three anticous bracteoles of the involucres lanceolate acute, fused in their lower third, sericeous, 3 mm long. Posticous bracteole lanceolate acute, free, 3-4 mm long, sericeous, margins ciliate. Perianth 8-9 mm long, greyish pink in live state. Perianth segments unequal, posticous segment erect and galeate, larger than the three anticous segments, anticous segments spreading forwards. Perianth claws villous, the three anticous claws with a swelling of glandular tissue near the base, carmine when fresh; swelling absent from posticous claw. Perianth limb elliptic, 1 mm long, densely villous. Perianth tube very short, 0-75-1 mm long, glabrous. Anthers sessile ovate, apical boss black, rounded. Style straight, 6 mm long, curved forward at the top. Pollen presenter an obliquely obovate cochleariform disc. Ovary ovoid, 1 mm long very densely sericeous. Hypogynous scales subulate linear, 1 mm long yellow. Fruits cylindric, 5-6 mm long, 2 mm in diam., sericeous, truncate and prominently pedicellate at the base. It is difficult to specify a definite flowering season for there is a continuous succession of inflorescences reaching maturity on the plant throughout the year.