Spatalla tulbaghensis (E.Phillips) Rourke

A low, much branched, rounded shrub to 0.5 m tall. Branches slender, terete, erect, thickly villous. Leaves linear, semi-terete, flattened or slightly concave on the upper surface, 8-15 mm long, ascending to spreading, margins long ciliate. Inflorescence globose, almost spherical, 1-2 cm in diam., sessile to subsessile, single and terminal or with up to 6 inflorescences arising laterally at the apex of a flowering shoot. Bracts ovate to broadly lanceolate, glabrous to sericeous, margins ciliate, 2-3 mm long. Involucres 3 flowered, subsessile to pedicellate, pedicel 1 mm long. Bracteoles free, 5 mm long 1.5 mm broad, lanceolate acute to broadly lanceolate, sericeous, margins ciliate; median anticous bracteole with infolded margins, subtending a minute stump of tissue, or barren. Perianth 10 mm long, curved forward in bud, perianth segments equal. Perianth limbs ovate 1 mm long, lanate. Perianth claws recurved on opening, thickly villous. Perianth tube 5 mm long, glabrous, somewhat quadrangular, slightly swollen at the base. Anthers ovate 1 mm long, apical boss rounded, black. Style 7-8 mm long straight but curved forwards at the apex. Pollen presenter conic oblong obliquely curved forwards. Ovary ovoid ellipsoid, densely sericeous, 1 mm long. Hypogynous scales linear subulate, slender, 2 mm long. Fruits cylindric ovoid, sericeous, 4 mm long, 2 mm in diam., truncate and broadly pedicellate at the base. Flowering takes place from September to early December.