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Perennial herb to 1 m high, sometimes with creeping rhizome.. Stem simple, erect, 4-angled.. Basal leaves oblanceolate to linear-lanceolate to linear-spatulate, 9–36 cm long, 10–23 mm wide, acute, gradually narrowed to form a long pseudopetiole; cauline leaves linear to linear-lanceolate, 1.3–16 mm long, 0.1–1. wide, obtuse to acute, amplexicaul.. Inflorescences terminal cymes, fastigiate; bracts 13–15.5 mm long, linear to ovate, acuminate at apex; pedicels 5–30 mm long.. Flowers magenta, rose pinkish, red, rarely white.. Calyx almost divided to the base; tube 1–2 mm long; segments ovate-lanceolate, 5–6.5 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, keeled, acuminate, margin hyaline.. Corolla tube cylindrical, 7–12 mm long; lobes oblong-lanceolate, 10.2–15 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, ovate, acute.. Filaments inserted into corolla tube just below sinuses, 2–2.2 mm long; anthers yellow, ellipsoid, spirally twisted, ± 3 mm long.. Ovary ellipsoid, 4–8 mm long, 1–2 mm diameter; style 9–10 mm long; stigma bilobed, lobes ± 1.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide.. Capsule ovoid, 10–12 mm long, 3.5–5 mm wide.. Seeds ± 0.4 mm in diameter; surface reticulate-pitted.. Fig. 13 (p. 45).
Annual herb, 0.4-0.7 m high. Leaves with basal ones long and persistent, up to 300 mm long; cauline leaves none or reduced to 1-3 distant pairs. Flowers: inflorescence thyrsoid, usually narrowly oblong in outline; flowers strictly erect; anthers twisted; calyx shorter than or as long as corolla tube; corolla red-purple, pink, red, occasionally white; Sep.-Mar. Fruit ovoid.
Leaves mostly clustered at the base, often with 1–3 cauline pairs; the basal ones 9–30 x 0.6–2 cm., oblanceolate to linear-spathulate gradually cuneate to the base; the cauline ones 2.5–14 x 0.1–0.7 cm., usually linear to linear-lanceolate, acute at the apex.
Flowers magenta, rose-pink to red, rarely white, in a terminal cymose panicle; pedicels 1–3 cm. long; bracts 12–15 x 1–2.5 mm., oblong-ovate, slightly cucullate at the base, acute at the apex.
Stamens inserted about 1.5 mm. below the throat of the corolla; filaments 3.5–4 mm. long; anthers c. 5 mm. long, ellipsoid, slightly spirally twisted.
Calyx tube very short 1–2 mm. long; lobes 5–7 x 1.5–2 mm., linear-lanceolate, acute at the apex, carinate, with a hyaline margin.
Corolla tube 7–10 mm. long, cylindric; lobes 5–13 (15) x 5–6 mm., oblong-lanceolate, narrowing towards the acute apex.
Ovary 7–8 x 1.5–2 mm., narrowly ellipsoid, narrowing into a style c. 1 cm. long; stigma bilobed; lobes c. 2 mm. long.
Perennial herb 40–70 cm. tall, sometimes with a creeping rhizome.
Seeds c. 0.35 mm. in diam., subglobose; testa faveolate.
Capsule 9–12 x 3–5 mm., narrowly ovoid.
Stem erect, unbranched.
