Wiborgia mucronata (L.F.) Druce

A spreading shrub or shrublet usually 1-2(-2.5) m tall. Old branches light-grey, usually very strong and rigid, with divaricate lateral branches standing at angles of 60-80 degrees and ending in very sharp, rigid thorns. Young branches similarly glabrous, generally smooth and bright orange or ferruginous, in some forms yellow; also these branches generally ending in strong thorns or in somewhat weaker inflorescence axes. Leaves on long-shoots with a moderately prominent, often somewhat shield-like base. Petiole glabrous, narrow, not flattened (cf. W. fusca), glabrous, canaliculate on the upper side, varying in length from less than 2 to more than 15 mm, often on the same shrub. Basal parts of branch-lets often with long-petiolate leaves, petioles successively shorter towards the branch ends. Leaflets from less than 5 x 2.5 to more than 12 x 6 mm in size, usually oblanceolate-obovate, rounded-retuse but generally with a short but distinct tip, glabrous, light green to almost glaucous, with a somewhat dull surface, sometimes slightly S-curved along the midvein, generally not turning black when dried. Inflorescence a raceme 3-12 cm long, with glabrous, woody axis weaker than other branches; flowers from less than 10 to c. 30 in number. Bracts caducous, present in the early bud stage only, lanceolate to subulate, usually 1-2 mm, glabrous on the abaxial and ± hairy on the adaxial side. Pedicel filiform, glabrous, 1-3 mm long in the flowering stage. Bracteoles as the bracts, but generally smaller. Calyx glabrous, campanulate, relatively small; the tube 1.7-2 mm in length; the lobes 0.6-1.2(-1.5) mm long, lower three close together and well separated from upper two. Petals light yellow, thin, entirely glabrous. Standard blade narrowly triangular, 6-7.5 mm long but usually not more than 2.8-4.0 mm broad, sometimes acute, strongly recurved at anthesis; claw (2.0-)2.5-3.5 mm long. Wing blades narrowly triangular, (4.7-)5.0-6.0 mm long and 1.6-2.2 mm broad near the base, tapering gradually towards the obtuse narrow apex, with prominent upper basal lobe; claws 2.3-3.0 mm long. Keel blades somewhat claw-like, with S-curved upper margin, 5.5-6.5(-7) x 2.5-3.5 mm, almost pointed at the apex, with rounded, rather prominent upper-basal lobe but without distinct lateral bulges; claws 2.0-2.7 mm long. Pistil glabrous, with prominent upper crest, ovules (3-)4-5, usually 4. Fruit a stiff, flat, compressed samara, very variable in size, from only 9 x 6.2 mm in the smallest forms to more than 17 x 10.5 mm in the larger ones, the 2-3 mm long stipe included. Upper wing flat, rigid, more than 2 mm broad, usually protruding slightly beyond the style base: sides of fruit body more or less prominently reticulate in the upper and central parts, the veins not forming a lateral wing on each side; lower part of fruit strongly compressed, slightly wing-like.