Barleria macrostegia Nees

Perennial herb with much-branched prostrate stems 15-50 cm long from a woody base; stems with short white retrorse hairs often in two opposite rows, and few to numerous ± spreading yellowish hispid hairs. Leaves often clustered on short lateral branches, narrowly oblong, (ovate-)elliptic or lanceolate, 0.8-3 x 0.3-0.7 (1) cm, base cuneate, margin thickened and pale, apex acute, mucronate, yellowish-hispid on margin and midrib beneath, hairs along margin with ± bulbous base forming minute serrations; lateral veins indistinct, midrib prominent beneath; petiole 0-4 mm long. Inflorescence a dense cylindrical or subglobose unilateral cymes 2-7.5 cm long in the upper axils, 4-10+-flowered; axis sometimes inrolled at fruiting; bracteoles imbricate, largely enclosing calyx, green, sometimes with white margin, ± broadly ovate, (15) 20-32 x (7)10-20 mm, margin entire or minutely toothed due to swollen hair bases, apex spinulose, surface tripli-or palmately nerved, hispid along main veins and margin; paired reduced sterile bracteoles sometimes present at lower nodes. Calyx green or mauve-tinged, later scarious, accrescent; anterior lobe suborbicular or somewhat ovate or elliptic, 15-21 x 10-17 mm in flower, up to 25 x 28 mm in fruit, base rounded or subcordate, margin entire or with minute teeth formed by swollen hair bases, apex obtuse, rounded or subattenuate and mucronulate, rarely bi-mucronulate, surface yellowish-hairy with softer hairs than leaves, dense along margin; posterior lobe as anterior but broadly ovate(-orbicular), 17-26 x 11-18 mm in flower, to 33 x 29 mm in fruit, apex attenuate to obtuse, spinulose; lateral lobes lanceolate, 7-9 mm long in flower, to 11.5 mm in fruit. Corolla 31-42 mm long, pale blue to purple with whitish tube, rarely white throughout, glandular-pilose externally; tube cylindrical, 18-28 mm long, somewhat expanded towards mouth; limb subregular; lobes 9-15 mm long, abaxial and lateral lobes 5-9.5 mm wide, adaxial lobes 4-7.5 mm wide. Stamens attached 12.5-18 mm from base of corolla tube; filaments 8-12.5 mm long; anthers held at mouth or shortly exserted, 2-2.8 mm long; lateral staminodes 1-3 mm long, pubescent at base, antherodes 0.3-1.3 mm long or absent. Ovary with apical ring of minute crisped hairs extending onto style base; stigma broadly capitate, 0.6-1.2 mm wide. Capsule 14.5-17 mm long, glabrous. Seeds 5-5.5 x 5.5-6 mm.