Lobostemon trichotomus (Thunb.) Dc.

Resprouting shrub, 40-90 cm high. Branches caulous to acrocaulous, antrorse, herbaceous branches hairy, woody branches glabrescent. Leaves herbaceous, cauline, transversely recurved or incurved, longitudinally straight to slightly naviculate, dead basal leaves not persistent, (6-)8-42(-50) x (1.0-)1.5-3.5(-5.0) mm, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, adaxially sparsely to copiously hairy, if sparsely hairy then more or less evenly spread, abaxially copiously hairy, indumentum mostly appressed, hairs dissimilar in length (continuous variation in lengths), trichomes simple or pustular; leaf margin entire; apex acute; mid-vein abaxially unobtrusive. Inflorescence of many flowered, compound cincinni, young flowering axis compact, flower buds loosely arranged to form a globose unit or with the flower buds arranged in two distinct parallel rows, spreading greatly in fruiting stage. Bracts (4-)5-15(-16) x 0.5-1.5(-2.0) mm, lanceolate to ovate. Flowers small to medium (corolla 7-25 mm long), more than three per cymule, funnel-shaped. Sepals lanceolate, less than to more than half of corolla length, dissimilar in width, free, adaxially and abaxially copiously hairy, mostly velutinous (some barely so); young apices applanate, brown trichomes on the adaxial surface wanting. Petals dissimilar, the anterior petal lobes larger than the rest, posterior petals ca. 10-14 mm long, posterior petal lobes ca. 2.5 mm long, anterior petals ca. 12-16 mm long, anterior petal lobes ca. 3 mm long, white-cream to pink to violet-blue; abaxially glabrous or hairy, hairs evenly or unevenly spread, if unevenly spread then hairs confined to a band opposite the staminal scales. Stamens dissimilar in length, exserted in adult flowers; anthers dorsifixed; filaments free from petals to shortly adnate (<5 mm) above staminal scales. Staminal scales inserted below the throat of the corolla tube, 3.5 mm above the base of the corolla tube, usually well-developed, triangular, lateral lobes present, villous, area between scales also hairy. Style median sections glabrous or hairy. Mericarpids narrowly ovoid-trigonous; tuberculate; hairs absent; lateral ridges inconspicuous; dorsal side acute; dorsal keel wanting; ventral keel wanting. Lobostemon trichotomus flowers mainly from July to November, with few flowering specimens being collected in December.