Description :

• Moderately branched sprawling shrubs, up to 200 mm high; young branches and leaves ash-grey to purplish becoming grey-brown; woody stems up to 10 mm in diameter; roots fibrous
• Leaves opposite, fused towards base, erect or spreading, obscurely 3-angled to cylindrical with upper surface slightly flattened, lower surface convex, blunt, up to 35 mm long, 9 mm in diameter, appearing as if dusted with powder, ash-grey to purplish, keels and margins reduced to red lines and tip ending in a point
• Flowers solitary, terminal, shortly pedicellate, bracteate; opening in morning, closing in evening
• Sepals 4, unequal, outer ones rounded and inner ones without membranous margins
• Petals free towards base, white
• Stamens papillose in basal part; staminodes gathered in a cone around stamens
• Nectary consisting of a series of small teeth in a continuous ring
• Ovary concave around margin, conical in centre above; placentas parietal; stigmas 11 or 12, subulate
• Fruit a 11- or 12-locular capsule of Lampranthus type, woody, reddish at first, convex on top; valves with spreading wings; expanding keels parallel at base, diverging slightly towards apex; covering membranes small, not covering entire locule; closing bodies 0
• Seeds smooth

• Flowering March to August in habitat

• Distinguishing characters :
  • Robust sprawling plants with leaves seemingly dusted with flour (hence the specific name farinosa = floury)
  • Flowers solitary, white
  • Fruit 11- or 12-locular

Nomenclature:

• Wooleya L.Bolus
  • Bolus: 48 (1961)
  • Herre: 308 (1971)
  • Smith et al.: 342 (1998)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa : Species 1: Wooleya farinosa (L.Bolus) L.Bolus, restricted to the coastal plains of Namaqualand, Northern Cape