Spatalla mollis R.Br.

A small, slender, laxly branched shrublet to 0.5 m tall, with a single main stem. Branches erect, very slender, terete, lax, bark reddish and glabrous. Leaves acicular terete, 15-35 mm long, mucronate, narrowing to a slender petiolar region, canaliculate on the upper surface. Inflorescence a lax cylindric raceme, 1-3 cm long, pedunculate, peduncle 1 cm long. Bracts subulate, 1-2 mm long, sericeous. Involucres single flowered, pedicellate, pedicel 4-5 mm long, sericeous. The three bracteoles of the lower lip ovate acute, fused for two thirds of their length, posticous bracteole ovate acute, free, sericeous. Perianth 7 mm long, strongly curved forward in bud. Perianth segments unequal, posticous segment larger and more thickly sericeous than the three anticous segments. Perianth claws thickly sericeous to lanate, the three anticous claws spreading forwards, posticous claw erect. Perianth limbs ovate, lanate, posticous limb very strongly galeate. Perianth tube cylindric, 2 mm. long, glabrous at the base, slightly sericeous above. Style straight, 5 mm long, slightly laterally compressed and minutely canaliculate on the anterior surface. Pollen presenter an oblique, obovate cochleariform disc. Ovary ovoid, 1-2 mm long, tomentose. Hypogynous scales 1-1.5 mm long, subulate to filiform, pale yellow. Fruits narrowly cylindric, 7 mm long, 1.5 mm in diam., truncate and broadly pedicellate at the base, thinly sericeous but hispid at the base. The flowering period commences in July and continues into December.