Spatalla incurva R.Br.

An erect to spreading, well branched shrub to 1 m tall, with a stout main stem. Branches terete, densely pubescent with a thick indumentum of short crisped hairs. Leaves acicular terete, mucronate, straight and ascending, to strongly incurved, sparsely sericeous to glabrous, 7-18 mm long. Inflorescence terminal, subsessile to pedunculate, peduncle to 1 cm long; inflorescence 4 cm long, 1.5 cm in diam. Bracts lanceolate, 3-5 mm long, sericeous to glabrous, margins ciliate. Involucres three flowered, pedicellate, pedicel 1-4 mm long, bracteoles ovate acuminate to acute, very thickly sericeous, 3 mm long, 2 mm broad, free. Median anticous bracteole subtends a reduced vegetative shoot. Perianth 7-8 mm long, strongly curved forward in bud, pale pink to carmine in the fresh state. Perianth limbs ovate 1 mm long, sericeous, posticous limb slightly larger than the three anticous limbs. Perianth claws thickly villous, posticous claw erect, the three anticous claws coiled forwards. Perianth tube is slightly inflated due to the broadening of the perianth claws at the base, 2 mm long glabrous at the base, villous above. Style 6 mm long, straight except for the subterminal region which is curved at right angles. Pollen presenter obliquely obovoid, with an oblique stigmatic papilla. Ovary ovoid, tomentose, 1-2 mm long, the style arising obliquely from the ovary. Hypogynous scales subulate, 1-2 mm long. Fruits cylindric ovoid, 6 mm long 2 mm broad, sericeous to hispid, hispid at base, truncate and pedicellate at the base. Flowering commences in September and continues until March.