Chironia linoides L.

Suffrutices, 7-90 cm tall, ranging from tall plants with long slender, erect, leafy branches from a rather stout, sometimes decumbent, woody stem, to smaller plants with several to many rather slender, erect or radiating branches from a slender tap root which is usually present on herbarium specimens. Leaves narrowly linear to linear-lanceolate, rarely linear-oblanceolate, 7-50 mm long and 0.5-5 mm broad, straight to arcuate, erect, spreading or reflexed, abruptly or gradually narrowing to an acute or subacute apex, in broader leaves midrib prominent beneath, margins narrowly revolute at least in the lower half, then giving the leaves a spathulate appearance. Inflorescence terminal on the main branches and sometimes on the upper lateral branchlets, in la x 1-3-flowered cymes. Calyx lobed to the middle or beyond, as long as or longer than the corolla tube; lobes narrowing slightly to definitely from the base with V to U-shaped sinuses or subcordate and overlapping at the base, triangular-oblong, triangular to ovate-acuminate, or ovate. Corolla rose-pink or pink with violet tint 1.4-2 cm long; tube short 3-5 mm long, tubular-campanulate, slightly narrowed at the throat; lobes 8-14 mm long, oblong, broadly rounded at apex often retuse, margins inrolled from base upwards as flowers fade. Stamens inserted slightly below the rim of the tube; anthers straight, 4-6 mm long. Ovary obtuse at the apex or broadly narrowed into the style which is larger than the ovary and recurved in the upper half, not or slightly broadened at the truncate stigmatic apex. Capsule small obtuse or subacute with broad shoulders exserted by about half from the persistent calyx, black and shiny at first turning brown when ripe.