Ruschia joubertiniana

Erect, sparsely branched, succulent shrub to 40 X 30 cm, with erect branches to 35 cm tall, becoming woody with age, basal branches 6 - 7 mm diam., internodes 20 - 30 X ± 2.5 - 3 mm, brown, older one’ s grey. Leaves opposite, triquetrous, with sharp tips, glaucous, with dark dots, erect to spreading, joined to the stem in the lower third of their length for 3 - 9 mm, and curved outwards towards their bases, thus forming a triangle between the two opposite leaves, keels cartilaginous, some with finely serrulate keel, epidermis smooth, 20 - 27 mm long, 5 - 6 mm broad and thick. Flowers solitary, 25 - 40 mm diam., pedicels erect, 7 - 20 mm long, bracts succulent, leaf-like; sepals 6, succulent, 3 with membranous wings; petaloid and filamentous staminodes numerous, filiform, curved over the centre of the flower, petaloid staminodes pink, 10.5 X 0.7 mm, shortest petals to ca. 5 mm long, filamentous staminodes white, papillate at base, 4 X 0.1 - 0.2 mm, stamens about as long as filamentous staminodes, papillate at base, in 3 - 4 rows, pollen white; stigmas 10 - 12, green slender, smooth, 1.5 X 0.2 mm, top of ovary flat, nectary forming conspicuous green crenulated ring. Capsule 10 - to 12 - locular, 10 - 14 mm diam., top dome shaped and raised to 5 mm, with low rims, lower part bowl- to funnel-shaped to 5 mm deep, without wings, closing bodies absent, placenta forming a hood, covering membranes curved up at ends, but without additional closing device below, keels parallel first then diverging, valve wings absent. Seeds light brown to ochre, 0.8 - 0.9 X 0.6 - 0.7 mm, slightly colliculate.