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Noaea spinosissima L. 
An undershrub which prefers stony soils (on mountains). 
It is much branched and forms a thick, spiny, globular 
shrub; the branches die down almost to the ground and 
arise from a lower, lignified long-lived part. The leaves are 
Fig. 55. Acanthophyllum elatius. A, Leaf in tranverse 
section; Sclerenchyma in black; N, Veins. B, Tissues 
from the lower side of A. A, X 77; B, X 203. 
long, triangular and pointed like a spine. They all subtend 
thorn-shoots which attain a length of 3—6 centimetres and 
these in their turn frequently bear lateral thorn-shoots. 
Flowering season October, the flowers being closely sur- 
rounded by bracteoles. The fruit is a nut enclosed in a 
winged perianth. 
