Spatalla racemosa Druce

A low rounded much branched woody shrublet, to 0.75 m tall. Branches erect, terete, pilose to glabrous. Leaves acicular terete, narrowing to a slender petiolar region, canaliculate on the upper surface, thinly sericeous to glabrous, bluntly mucronate, straight to strongly incurved, 2.5-5 cm long. Inflorescence terminal or axillary, pedunculate, peduncle 1-7 cm long. Inflorescence a dense many flowered cylindric raceme, 3-7 cm long, 1-1.5 cm in diam. Bracts acicular terete 2-11 mm long. Involucres one flowered, pedicellate, composed of a distinct anticous and posticous lip, tightly clasping the perianth. Posticous bracteole ovate acute, fused to the anticous lip at the base only. Anticous lip scarcely trifid, composed of three almost entirely fused bracteoles. Bracteoles sericeous to velutinous, 3-4 mm long. Perianth strongly curved forward in bud, creamy white or pale yellowish in fresh state, 7-9 mm long. Perianth segments unequal, posticous segment larger and broader than the three anticous segments, erect and galeate. Perianth limbs elliptic, acute thickly villous, posticous limb galeate. Perianth claws villous, the three anticous claws twisting below the limb region, with a reddish swelling of glandular tissue at the base of the inner surface of the three anticous limbs. Perianth tube glabrous, 1-1.5 mm long, cylindric. Anthers elliptic with a black apical boss. Style slender, straight, slightly laterally flattened, 7 mm long. Pollen presenter an obliquely obovate cochleariform disc, deep purple when fresh. Ovary ovoid, 1 mm long, very densely sericeous. Hypogynous scales subulate, 1 mm long, bright yellow. Fruits cylindric, 6-7 mm long, apex beaked, truncate and pedicellate at the base. The flowering period extends from September to March.