Aspalathus setacea young pod

The fruit of Aspalathus setacea is a short, bulging pod on a short pedicel, densely covered in soft, longish, greyish hairs. Its shape is about lanceolate and its dimensions up to 11 mm long and nearly 5 mm wide. In picture the still underdeveloped green pod has the long, wiry style attached at its tip, as well as the incurved or semi-collapsed banner petal hovering over it.

Comparatively modest leaf hairiness contrasts against the exaggerated coverings on fruit and some old floral parts. Several leaves curve in in the photo, their spiny tips dark brown and clear to see.

The stem visible in the background is also brown (Euston-Brown and Kruger, 2023; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; https://www.worldfloraonline.org).