Desmanthus velutinus Scheele, velvet bundleflower. Perennial herb, with woody central root, not rosetted, several—many–stemmed at base, low–spreading (not procumbent), in range to 30 cm tall; shoots with only highly divided cauline leaves, axes short–hairy and somewhat velveteen (short–velutinous), mostly lacking glandular hairs.
Stems 8–ridged, on new growth to 2 mm diameter, with 3 ridges descending from each leaf, short–hairy, having minute green or crimson food bodies in furrows.
Leaves helically alternate, even–2–pinnately compound with 4—6(—7) pairs of widely spreading primary leaflets (pinnae), primary leaflet with 10—17 pairs of secondary leaflets, petiolate with pulvinus, with stipules; stipules 2, attached to petiole at base of pulvinus, 2–lobed with slender linear lobe 2—3 mm long next to petiole and a short, triangular lobe to the outside, crimson, short–hairy; petiole pulvinus 2 mm long, short–hairy, petiole above pulvinus channeled, to 11 mm long, several ridged on lower side, at top with a cauldronlike gland to spheroid (extrafloral nectary) between the lowest pair of primary leaflets (second pair), fully developed gland 0.3—0.35 mm long and wide and < axis, crimson, puberulent; rachis channeled and angled, 9—26 mm long + extension beyond last pair of primary leaflets, primary leaflets spaced to 7 mm apart, short–hairy; stipels on rachis not obvious, minute food bodies often present; petiolules of primary leaflets = pulvinus, elevated, 1.3 mm long, often red, short–hairy; rachilla of primary leaflets 3–sided, 9—28 mm long + extension, lower side rounded and short–hairy, upper sides flat with secondary leaflets attached and glabrous, and lacking stipels, leaflets along side ca. 1 mm apart; petiolule of secondary leaflet = pulvinus, 0.2 mm long, green or red; blades of secondary leaflets oblong (elliptic = small lowest pair at top of pulvinus), 1.2—4.4 × 0.35—1 mm, the lowest pair 1/2 other leaflets, asymmetric at base with larger side from petiolule truncate, entire sometimes red on trailing margin, acute at tip, with 1 vein visible and closer to leading edge, somewhat glaucous, glabrous to sparsely short–hairy.
Inflorescence headlike spike, axillary, ca. 15 mm diameter, 6—24–flowered, flowers helically alternate, all fertile or to 7 lower flowers sterile (lacking pistil and anthers), bracteate, short–hairy; peduncle fine–ridged, to 20 mm long increasing 2×in fruit, puberulent; rachis with closely spaced flowers sunken in shallow pits, having white and red short hairs between flowers but lacking glandular hairs; bractlet subtending flower stalked spade–shaped to 3–lobed above midpoint, 0.6—1.4 mm long, white or upper portion with some red and short–hairy on back.
Sterile flower radial, 3 mm across (stamens); calyx 5–lobed, 1 mm long; tube funnel–shaped, mostly colorless with 5 faint, green veins; lobes triangular to deltate, 0.4—0.5 mm long, red on lobes in bud, sparsely puberulent on outer (lower) surface; petals 5, oblanceolate, 2 × 0.4—0.7 mm, mostly colorless having faint green vein and green above midpoint; stamens 10, free, lacking anthers; filaments exserted, ca. 9 mm long, white but green at base; pistil absent.
Fertile flower bisexual, radial, ca. 3 mm across; calyx 5–lobed, 2.5 × 1.5 mm; tube bell–shaped, mostly colorless with 5 green ribs; lobes deltate, 0.5 mm long, mostly colorless with red on outer margin, having some short hairs on outer (lower) surface; petals 5, oblanceolate, 3.7—4 × 0.65—0.75 mm, colorless to midpoint with faint green vein and green above midpoint, in bud having red on outer margin; stamens 10, free, exserted; filaments 6 mm long but never straight, white; anthers dorsifixed, dithecal, 0.7—0.8 mm long, pale yellow, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen whitish; pistil 1, short–stalked (stipe), stalk 0.3—0.35 mm long; ovary superior, ± cylindric, ca. 3 × 0.5 mm, light green, glabrous, 1–chambered with 10+ ovules attached to upper side; style ascending, exserted 1+ mm above anthers, cylindric, 4.5 mm long, white, with a terminal, depressed stigma.
Fruit pod (legume), indehiscent, several—15–seeded, < 50—79 × 3 mm, green aging red, glabrous.
Seed somewhat ovoid to parallelogram–like, ca. 3 × 1.7—1.9 × 1.4—1.5 mm, dark brown, with darker, U–shaped mark midpoint on both broad faces.
A. C. Gibson