Hermannia trifoliata L.

Suffrutex, usually under 30 cm tall, often sprawling, stems and branches stellate-tomentose, ridged or quadrate, leafy in upper portion right to apex, stipules and leaves imbricate. Stipules oblong, shortly cuneate, stellate-tomentose with fringed crater-like scales, often 2-veined, 5-8 mm long, 2-3 mm broad in upper half. Leaves thickly tomentose with fringed crater-like scales, sessile or subsessile, obovate-cuneate, slightly longer than the subtending stipules, 7-10 mm long, 4-5 mm broad at apex, usually folded, apex broadly rounded to truncate, sometimes crenate. Inflorescence of cymes in terminal heads, usually nodding and surrounded by stipules and leaves; pedicels 0-2 mm long, with reddish brown fringed scales. Calyx about 7 mm long, lobed in upper third, becoming somewhat inflated, covered with small crater-like fringed scales, hairs very short, lobes erect or inflexed, rather broad, mucronate, sinuses fairly narrow. Petals “red”, “orange” or “claret-red”, twisted, with upper portion of the blade spreading to reflexed, about 10 mm long, suborbicular in upper third, narrowed in middle forming a long waist, lower third clawed with infolded margins, ciliate in middle. Stamens about 4.5 mm long, united at base, filaments very thinly hyaline, oblong, slightly narrowing towards base, nerves brown; anthers usually less than 2 mm long, ciliate, overlapping filaments at base. Ovary pubescent, 5-lobed, lobes rounded at apex; styles cohering, stigmas terminal. Capsule enclosed in the somewhat enlarged calyx, about 5 mm long, 5-angled and 5-umbonate.