Heliophila acuminata Steud.

Erect annual herbs 15-45 cm high, usually branched; the basal few nodes, the axils of the branches, the upper surface of the lower leaves and the lower half of the pedicels are often hairy or puberulous, but not always all these parts on any one plant; very rarely completely glabrous. Leaves 3-10 cm long, 0.8-6 mm broad, linear or oblanceolate, entire or 3-9-lobed in the upper half, usually slightly narrowed towards the base. Racemes few-to many-flowered, contracted in flower, lax in fruit. Pedicels slender, erect, 5-7 mm long in flower; rather stout, spreading at right angles or reflexed-spread-ing, 5-11 mm long in fruit. Sepals 2-4.5 mm long, 0.9-1.5 mm broad, oblong, frequently drying a deep emerald-green colour, glabrous or thinly hairy; outer 2 cucullate; inner 2 saccate with broad membranous margins. Petals 4.5-10.5 mm long, 2-4.7 mm broad, (mostly not more than 7 mm long), oblong-obovate to obovate-circular, without or with a small appendage on one side of the claw. Filaments 1.8-3 mm and 2.1-3.3 mm long, the short ones with or without an appendage. Anthers 0.6-1.5 mm long. Ovary linear; style long, stigma capitate; ovules 6-14. Fruits 1-3 cm long, 1-2 mm broad, linear, moniliform, the 'beads' close together or separated by narrower waists; valves fiat, 1-nerved, glabrous or puberulous; style 1.7-7 mm long, slightly swollen, stoutly subulate or the shorter ones ± conical. Seeds 1.9-2 x 1 mm, oval-elliptic, very narrowly margined.