Herbs, somewhat suffrutescent basally; to 1. 5 m, the branches pubescent, the hairs white. Leaves elliptic to obovate, acute or ? acuminate, entire, the bases obtuse to long-attenuate, the basal leaves exaggeratedly so, to 12 cm long and 5 cm wide, pubescent on both surfaces, more so on the veins beneath; subsessile to petioles 18 cm long for basal leaves. Inflorescences racemes, scorpioid, elongat-ing in fruit. Flowers with pedicels ca 1-5 mm long; bracteole single, leaf-like, size variable; calyx of 5 sepals, weakly connate basally, the lobes subulate or deltoid, ca 2-3 mm long, pubescent; corolla funnelform, weakly zygomorphic, blue, the tube ca 1.5 mm long, the lobes oblong, ? unequal, ca 1.6-2.2 mm long and 1.4-2 mm wide, with 5 faucal appendages opposite the lobes; stamens sub-sessile, the anthers ca 0.5 mm long; ovary 4-lobed, distinctly so, disc present, the style gynobasic, the stigma capitate. Fruit 4 nutlets, ? pyramidal, connate apically, ca 2 mm high, covered with glochidiate spines, the spines sometimes of 2 distinct lengths, 2 nutlets with long spines and 2 nutlets with shorter spines.
Home