Aciphylla trifoliolata

Detailed description

Stout rosetted plants with ascending leaves. Leaves cartilaginous, yellow to orange-green, up to 400 mm long, once-pinnate with 1-2 pairs of leaflets; sheath up to 75 x 8-19 mm; stipules simpe up to 40 x 1 mm, set up to 6 mm apart at insertions; petiole up to 110 x 4.5 mm, concave, margins acute, sheath joint evident, pulvinus evident, up to 10 mm long; lamina mor eor less obtrullate in outline; lowermost leaflet up to 190 x 5.5. mm with an apical spine up to 3 mm long, margins and midribs yellow, up to 0.5 mm wide; marginal tubercules coarse, up to 0.15 mm wide, in a continuous series. Inflorescences narrow. Female up to 450 mm long with stems up to 285 x 7 mm, reddish brown; head up to 170 x 17 mm, lanceolate in outline; compound umbels up to 22; lower bracts up to 100 mm long with a sheath up to 28 x 8 mm, stipules up to 20 x 1.5 mm, lamina simple, up to 65 x 3.5 mm, all segments ascending to appressed. Lower compound umbels up to 30 mm long with peduncles up to 6 x 1 mm, primary bracteoles often absent; up to 4 simple umbels with peduncles up to 17 x 0.7 mm, the innermost often sessile; secondary bracteoles few, up to 3 x 0.3 mm, often with a few accessory umbels in bract axils. Flowers up to 10 per umbel; pedicels up to 4 x 0.4 mm, sepals 0.5 mm; petals 1.3 x 0.4 mm not inflexed, median oil tube red; staminods 0.75 mm long. Male inflorescences up to 320 mm long, stems up to 140 x 6 mm, reddish brown; head up to 180 x 50 mm, narrow-ovate in outline, compound umbels up to 26; lower bracts up to 100 mm long with sheath up to 30 x 8 mm, stipules up to 30 x 1 mm, lamina simple up to 74 x 4 mm, segments ascending. Lower compoudn umbels up to 50 mm long, peduncles up to 30 x 1 mm, primary bracteoles usually wanting, up to 9 simpel umbels with peduncles up to 10 x 0.5 mm, innermost umbels subsessile to sessile. Flowers up to 12 per umbel; pedicels up to 2 x 0.1 mm; sepals up to 0.3 mm long; petals 1.1 x 0.5 mm, not inflexed, median oil tube red; stamens 1.75 mm long. Mericarps dull, dark brown 6 x 1.5, each pair with 5/3, 5/4 or 4/3 ribs; lateral ribs 0.2 mm wide; styles up to 0.8 mm long.