Description:

• Shrubs or shrublets, sometimes ericoid, usually villous
• Leaves simple, alternate or rarely opposite, sessile or rarely short petiolate, linear, lanceolate or ovate, flat, slightly concave or often with margins ± recurved; stipules 0
• Flowers small, white, yellow, pink or violet, axillary and sessile or subsessile, often 2-nate, sometimes crowded into a leafy spike, sometimes in bracteate heads; bracts setaceous, linear, lanceolate or triangular; bracteoles 0
• Calyx usually hairy, with campanulate tube; lobes unequal, the 2 upper broadest or extensively connate
• Petals: vexillum suborbicular, oblong or obovate and often bilobed, shortly or long-clawed; wings oblong, clawed; keel straight, usually shorter than wings, obtuse, gibbous or saccate at base, clawed
• Stamens diadelphous; vexillary stamen free, remainder connate high up, alternate anthers longer, basifixed, others versatile
• Ovary sessile or shortly stalked, usually 1-4-ovuled, sericeous; style slightly curved upwards, glabrous or sericeous below, with minute, terminal, sometimes slightly capitate stigma
• Pod ovate, oblong falcate or obliquely oblong, often acute, compressed, 2-valved, densely sericeous or more sparsely pubescent
• Seeds 1-4, appendaged, green or dark

Nomenclature:

• Amphithalea Eckl. & Zeyh.
  • Ecklon & Zeyher: 167 (1836)
  • Harvey: 21 (1862)
  • Granby: 13 (1985)
• Lathriogyna Eckl. & Zeyh.
  • Ecklon & Zeyher: 170 (1836)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Species ± 21, Cape, mainly southwestern districts (Western Cape), extending eastwards to near Cathcart (Eastern Cape)