Diascia insignis K.E.Steiner

Annual herb, glabrous, simple or branching from the base. Stems up to 210 mm long, erect or decumbent, tetragonal in cross-section (up to 2.0 mm on a side). Basal leaves few to many, rossulate or crowded, simple, petiolate, ascending, lamina ca. 3-27 mm long, ovate to elliptic, apex rounded to acute, base attenuate, margins irregularly divided, divisions up to ca. 4 mm long, linear to deltoid, entire, apices acute to acuminate; petioles up to ca. 20 mm long; stem leaves smaller and becoming reduced upwards, opposite or verticillate. Flowers axillary, 1-4 open per stem, faintly scented (spicy), nodding in early bud stage, pedicels 24-67 mm long, ascending, broadened and dorsi-ventrally flattened especially where attached to the flower, recurving in fruit. Calyx lobes five, more or less equal, ca. 3.6-3.9 x 1.5-1.9 mm, reflexed, ovate, acuminate, margins minutely white-ciliolate. Corolla bilabiate, limb ca. 15.5-21.0 x 17.0-24.5 mm; upper lobes ca. 4.5-6.5 x 5.0-5.5 mm, falciform-ovate to oblong, rounded to emarginate, bases oblique, lateral lobes ca. 6.0-8.0 x 4.5-5.0 mm, oblong to obovate, emarginate; lower lobe ca. 7.4-8.6 x 9.7-13.4 mm, broadly obovate and emarginate to obcordate, upper lobes reddish-purple, darker and with dark red lines at the base, other lobes similar in colour but lacking red lines, glandular purberulant especially on inner surface near the base, trichomes with purple tips; upper lip with a concave depression below each corolla lobe, depressions ca. 1.5-1.9 x 2.0-2.2 mm, separated by a medial septum, visible on outside as two swellings, very dark purple to nearly black with regular or irregular yellow, translucent markings; tube below depression distended into two long spurs projecting backwards and diverging in the distal half to one-third; spurs ca. 14.0-18.0 mm long (measured along inner side) containing spherical yellowish or purple, subsessile, trichome elaiophores scattered within on the inner walls along the distal two-thirds of their length; central portion of corolla tube invaginated to form a boss bearing the stamens, boss ca. 1.0-1.3 mm high on anticous side and ca. 1.2-1.5 mm high on posticous side, reddish-purple, connected to the upper lip by a septum. Stamens four, erect from the boss, anthers tilted slightly forward, anticous filaments (appearing posticous due to twisting of the bases), ca. 2.5-2.8 mm long, only slightly curved except at the base, glabrous, posticous filaments (appearing anticous) ca. 2.0-2.2 mm forked just below the middle into a fertile and a non-fertile portion; sterile appendage ca. 2.7-3.3 mm long, projecting outward, becoming flattened and villous distally, sometimes curving downward at the tip; anthers ca. 1.0 mm long, strongly cohering, yellow or tinged grey. Ovary ca. 2.0-2.5 x 1.0 mm, oblong in outline, upper portion reddish-purple, style ca. 1.3-1.4 mm long, straight, mostly reddish-purple, stigma surrounded by anthers, ovules 30-65. Capsule ca. 5.7-6.6 x 3.1-3.5 mm, falciform-ovate in outline, exceeding calyx at maturity; seeds 1.0-1.2 mm, curved, dorsal surface ridged, ventral surface with seed coat extended to form a cupule with an oblong-elliptical opening.