Plants varying in habit from low, cushionlike shrublets up to about 20 cm tall to tall, woody, much branched shrubs up to 300 cm tall, vegetative growth with short, more or less glandular multicellular white hairs; old branches and stems pale brown to blackish, becoming glabrous. Leaves all or mostly opposite, petiolate; petioles about 5 mm long; blades broadly oblong-elliptic to obovate, 8-20 mm long, 7-10 mm wide, upper surfaces almost as densely pilose as lower surfaces, often darkening when dry. Inflorescences 2-7 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, usually solitary, rarely branched below. Flowers: tepals more or less concealed by white hairs; outer 2 tepals broadly linear, 6.5-8,5 mm long, 5-7-veined, with hyaline margines, rather obtuse and cucullate; inner 2 tepals narowly linear, usually 3-veined, rather acute, somewhat cucullate, hyaline margins wider than on outer tepals; middle tepal in each flower intermediate; styles slender, 3-4.5 mm long.Capsules ovoid, about 2 mm long.
Chionothrix somalensis grows on rocky limestone slopes, escarpments, and plateaux, in bushland below the forest zone and on eroded gypsaceous plains at 700-1750 m. It was known only from regions N2 and N3 as recognized inthe Flora of Somalia.
Chionothrix somalensis differs from species of Aerva in having leaves that are all or almost all opposite. In Aerva, all or almost all the leaves are alternate.
Mary E. Barkworth
Habit: Varying from ushionlike shrublets to about 20 cm tall to tall shrubs up to 3 m tall.
Leaves: all or mostly opposite, blades broadly oblong-elliptic to obovate and densely hairy on both surfaces, the margins entire,
Inflorescences: elongate, spikelike, eusually solitary and unbranched.
Flowers about 6-8.5 mm long, covered by white hairs.
Fruits ovoid, about 2 mm long.
Chionothrix somalensis is similar to species of Aerva but differs in having leaves that are all or almost all are opposite.