Description:

• Shrublets, somewhat ericoid, up to 0.6 m high
• Leaves alternate, sessile, crowded, ovate, with entire, flat to somewhat revolute margins, pungent, glabrous on upper side, hairy on lower (hair type B) and glandular-hairy
• Capitula radiate, sessile, 1-3-nate at end of branches
• Involucre subglobose; bracts in ± 7 rows, oblong to oblong-linear, main veins fading well below tips of bracts, with large, membranous, elliptic-obtuse, apical appendage; stereome undivided
• Receptacle slightly convex, epaleate
• Ray florets female, in 1 row; corolla yellow; tube with minutely 3-toothed, obovate-elliptic, villous lamina longer than tube
• Cypselas with 20 ribs
• Disc florets functionally male; corolla yellow, tube widened above, glandular, villous, with 5 short, ovate lobes
• Anthers ecalcarate, caudate, with short tails; endothecial tissue polarised; apical appendage ovate, acute
• Style bifid; style branches obtuse, dorsally with obtuse sweeping hairs, not reaching furcation; stigmatic surface basally separated but apically converging
• Cypselas with 12 ribs, glabrous or with scattered, elongated twin hairs, glandular-hairy
• Papus of barbellate, caducous bristles shorter than corolla tube, in 1 row

Nomenclature:

• Arrowsmithia DC.
  • Candolle: 254 (1838)
  • Harvey: 524 (1865)
  • Hilliard & Burtt: 230 (1985)
  • Anderberg: 51 (1991)
  • Anderberg: 323 (1994)

Distribution & Notes:

• Southern Africa: Monotypic: Arrowsmithia styphelioides DC., endemic, Eastern Cape