Diascia maculata K.E.Steiner

Annual herb, glabrous, simple or branching from the base. Stems up to 220 mm long, erect or decumbent, tetragonal in cross section, up to 1.5 mm on a side. Basal leaves few to many, rosulate or clustered, simple, petiolate. spreading or ascending, lamina 4-23 mm long, ovate to elliptic, apex rounded to acute, base attenuate, margins nearly entire to irregularly lobed or divided, divisions up to ± 3 mm long, oblong-ovate to triangular, entire, acute to acuminate: petioles up to ± 21 mm; stem leaves smaller, becoming reduced upwards, alternate, opposite or verticil-late. Flowers axillary, one or two flowers open per stem, nodding in bud, pedicels 22-41 mm long, ascending, broadened and dorsiventrally flattened specially where attached to flower, recurving in fruit. Calyx lobes five, ± equal, ± 2.0-2.5 x 0.8-1.0 mm, spreading, or the lateral two slightly reflexed, lanceolate, acuminate, margins white ciliate. Corolla bilabiate, limb ± 7.4-10.5 x 8.6-11.0 mm, upper lobes ± 2.2-3.0 x 2.0-2.8 mm, oblong-ovate, rounded, lateral lobes ± 2.7-3.6 x 2.3-3.4 mm, ovate, rounded, bases oblique; lower lobe ± 3.0-3.9 x 2.9-5.0 mm, obovate, rounded to emarginate. upper lobes yellowish pink distally, bases purplish red with red veins or uniformly reddish purple, other lobes similar in colour but lacking veins, all lobes with dark purple-tipped glandular trichomes, especially on inner surface near the base; tube ± 1.0-2.0 mm, reddish purple with yellow spots below upper and lateral lobes, yellow patch below each upper lobe consisting of a single spot or 3 or 4 separate or partially coalesced spots, patch below each lateral lobe a single ± 1 mm long elliptical patch corresponding to a gibbous portion of the tube, yellow patches below lateral and upper lobes usually separated by a narrow strip of reddish purple tissue, but sometimes consisting of a single spot spanning the sinus between upper and lateral lobes; gibbous portion of tube with two patches of oil-secreting trichomes, a ± 1 mm long elliptical patch below each lateral lobe and a ± 0.3 mm patch at base of each upper corolla lobe near the sinus with the lateral lobe; spurs or sacs absent, central portion of tube turned outward to form a boss bearing the stamens, boss ± 1.2-1.5 mm high, connected to the upper lip by a septum. Stamens four, projecting forwards, anticous filaments (appearing posticous due to twisting of the bases) ± 1.5-1.7 mm long, curved and bearing a few scattered trichomes, posticous filaments (appearing anticous) ± 1.2-1.5 mm long, ± straight, widened and bilobed or simply strongly bent backward just below the anthers, anthers ± 0.2-0.5 mm, strongly cohering, yellow, attached to posticous lobes of filaments if bilobed, pollen usually orange. Ovary ± 1.2 x 0.7 mm, ovate in outline with purple markings on upper two thirds to one half, style ± 0.7-0.8 mm long, straight, stigma subcapitate, surrounded by anthers, ovules ± 50-55. Capsule ± 4.7-6.0 x 2.7-3.0 mm, falciform-ovate in outline, exceeding calyx at maturity; seeds ± 0.65-0.85 mm long, dorsal surface ridged, ventral surface with seed coat extended to form a cupule with an oblong elliptical opening.