Thesium schweinfurthii Engl.

Perennial herb; rootstock generally narrow and elongate, sometimes (particularly in the Rift Valley region of Kenya) 1–several-forked at the apex and ± shortly rhizomatous; vegetative buds, if evident, 1–2 mm long; stems many, tufted from the crown (top of the rootstock), sprawling with age, 10–40 cm long, well-branched from the base, leafy, weakly ribbed by decurrent leaves.. Leaves almost all well developed, only a few small scale leaves at the base, green, ascending, linear, 10–20(–25)x0.8–1.2(–2) mm, somewhat shorter at the base, apex apiculate, margins pale, cartilaginous, smooth, with midrib evident.. Flowers solitary in the axils of the bracts, 1–5(–7) laxly arranged at the tips of all the branchlets, oldest at apex; bracts adnate to the entire pedicel, leaf-like, linear, ± 12–25x0.8–1.2 mm; bracteoles 2, ± 3.5–11x0.5–0.8 mm; pedicels 0.5–5 mm long.. Perianth green outside, white inside; tube 0.5–0.7 mm long, external glands ellipsoid below sinuses of lobes or inconspicuous; lobes triangular, 0.8–1 mm long, acute, white-bearded from apex.. Stamens inserted at base of perianth lobes; filaments ± 0.25 mm long, visible; anthers 0.25–0.3 mm long.. Style 0.2–0.7 mm long; stigma reaching about halfway up anthers or a little above.. Fruit pale yellowish or reddish brown, subglobose, 2.2–2.5(–3) mm long, 2–2.5(–2.8) mm in diameter, strongly ribbed and reticulate; stipe 1–1.5 mm long.