Chaenostoma polyanthum Benth.

Herb, possibly perennating, with a simple, woody taproot up to c. 8 mm diam. at the crown, soon branching from the base and above, eventually bushy, branches erect or decumbent, c. 60-300 mm long, up to 0.2-0.3 mm diam. at base, glandular-puberulous, hairs at base of stem up to 0.2-0.25 mm long, shorter upwards, c. 0.1 mm on inflorescence branches and there mixed with glistening glands, leafy. Leaves opposite, largest c. 9-27 x 3-10 mm, elliptic tapering into a short petiolar part, apex acute or subacute, margins rarely subentire, usually obscurely to distinctly toothed, minutely glandular-puberulous (hairs c. 0.1 mm), glistening glands as well. Flowers in leafy racemes paniculately arranged. Bracts (lowermost) equivalent to uppermost leaves, c. 5-15 x 2.5-7 mm, rapidly smaller upwards. Pedicels (lowermost) c. 5-20 mm long, filiform. Calyx obscurely bilabiate, tube 0.5-1.5 mm long, lobes 1.4-4 x 0.5-0.8 mm, clad in glistening glands and glandular hairs, the coarser hairs up to 0.1-0.4 mm long. Corolla tube 4.5-7 x 3.5-5 mm in throat, broadly funnel-shaped, limb almost regular, 7-12 mm across, posticous lobes 2-4 x 2-3.7 mm, anticous lobe 2.5-5 x 2.8-4 mm, all oblong-orbicular, white sometimes faintly tinged mauve with age, or rarely wholly pale mauve, tube yellow or orange, glandular puberulous outside, glistening glands as well, clavate hairs inside ± in 5 longitudinal bands around throat. Stamens 4, all exserted, anthers 1-1.3 mm long, posticous filaments 1.5-2.8 mm, anticous filaments 2.8-4 mm. Stigma 1.2-2.2 mm long, exserted. Style 3-5 mm long. Ovary 1.3-1.8 x 0.8-1 mm, with glistening glands on sutures only or on upper part as well. Capsules 2.5-4.5 x 2-2.5 mm, glistening glands persistent. Seeds c. 0.3-0.6 x 0.25-0.5 mm, amber-coloured, sometimes with a whitish tinge.