Hemiphora bartlingii

Description

Hemiphora bartlingii is shrub which grows to a height of about 0.3–0.9 m (1–3 ft) and has branches that are densely covered with greyish, rusty-coloured hairs. The leaves are linear to lance-shaped, but often appear almost cylindrical because their edges are strongly turned under. The leaves are 3–4 cm (1–2 in) long, 3–5 mm (0.1–0.2 in) wide with a blistered upper surface and a hairy lower surface.The flowers are arranged singly or in groups of up to three in leaf axils near the ends of the branches, on woolly stalks 2–4 mm (0.08–0.2 in) long. The flowers are surrounded by leafy, linear to lance-shaped, woolly bracts and bracteoles which are densely woolly on the outer surface, less so on the inner side. The bracts are 15–25 mm (0.6–1 in) long and longer than the sepals. The five sepals are 8–13 mm (0.3–0.5 in) long, linear to lance-shaped, woolly on their outer surface and joined to form a short tube near their bases. The petals are 15–23 mm (0.6–0.9 in) long and joined for most of their length to form a broad tube which is white, pink or purple with purple spots inside. The outside of the petal tube has a few short hairs but glabrous on the inside except for a narrow ring of hairs around the ovary. There are five lobes on the end of the tube, the lower, central lobe elliptic to almost round, 6–9 mm (0.2–0.4 in) long and 7–11 mm (0.3–0.4 in) wide and much larger than the other lobes which are a similar size and shape to each other. The four stamens are shorter than the tube, the lower pair slightly longer than the upper ones. Flowering occurs in most months and the fruit is oval-shaped and 3–4 mm (0.1–0.2 in) with the sepals remaining attached.