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Annual herb 10–70 cm high.. Stem slender, purple-brownish at the base, branched or unbranched, stem angles scabrid-denticulate.. Leaves subsessile to petiolate, petiole 2.5–5.5 mm long; lamina linear-lanceolate to elliptic, 10–15 mm long, 3–10 mm wide, acute to obtuse, cuneate at base.. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, in distinct dichasial cymes; pedicels 4–5 mm long; bracts 2–10 mm long, linear, acute.. Flowers usually 5-merous (rarely 4-merous), blue, pale violet, rarely white.. Calyx with a very short tube, up to 1 mm long; lobes 2–5 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, ovate-elliptic, membranous, hyaline, broadly winged, wings green up to 3 mm wide, with delicate reticulate veins, denticulate along margin, accrescent in fruit.. Corolla tube cylindrical, 2.5–4 mm long, minutely scabrid externally; lobes ovate to obovate, 2–3 mm long, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, acute to obtuse.. Filaments inserted into the corolla lobe, ± 1.5 mm long; anthers 0.5–2 mm long.. Ovary ovoid to globose, 2–3.5 mm long, 1–1.5 mm diameter; style ± 2 mm long.. Capsule up to 4 mm in diameter, ovoid to globose, dehiscing septicidally by breaking at the base of the style.. Seeds numerous, ± 0.4 mm in diameter, surface reticulate-pitted.. Fig. 1 (p. 3).
Leaves petiolate in 4–7 distant pairs; the lower pair smaller; petiole 2–5 mm. long; lamina 10–50 x 3–10 mm., the upper ones linear-lanceolate, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, the lower ones smaller and elliptic, rounded at the apex, 3–5 nerved.
Calyx tube 0.5–1 mm. long; lobes 2–4.5 x 1–1.5 mm., ovate-elliptic, membranous, hyaline, very broadly winged on the keel; wings reticulately veined, minutely papillose along the margin, accrescent in fruit, up to 2.5 mm. broad.
Flowers blue, pale violet or rarely white, turning yellow when dry in terminal and axillary dichotomous cymes; pedicel 4–15 mm. long; bracts 2–10 mm. long, linear, acute.
Corolla tube 2.5–4 mm. long, broadly cylindrical, the lower portion enlarged in fruit; lobes erect, 2.25–3 x 1.5–2.5 mm., subcircular to ovate or obovate.
Annual herb 10–60 m. tall, minutely papillose at the nodes and on the inflorescences when young, glabrous with age.
Stamens inserted 0.5–1 mm. below the corolla sinuses; filaments 0.75–1.25 mm. long; anthers 0.75–1.75 mm. long.
Ovary 2–3 x 1–1.5 mm., globose or ovoid-globose; style 1–2 mm. long; stigma capitate, often rather small.
Seeds 0.25–0.35 mm. in diam., subglobose-polyedric, minutely faveolate, brownish.
Capsule 2.5–4 mm. in diam., globose or obovoid-globose.
Stem slender, simple or branched above, 4-ridged.
