Lyperia lychnidea Druce

Perennial herb branching from the base and above, branches ± erect, decumbent or sprawling, eventually forming a bushy clump up to 0.5-1 m tall and as much across, main stems c. 4-8 mm in diam., glandular pubescent, hairs c. 0.2-0.3 mm long, glistening glands as well, leafy, whole plant blackening on drying. Leaves opposite to alternate, pseudofasciculate, the leaf tufts often elongating into short branchlets, primary leaves c. 30-65 x 4-13 mm, smaller upwards and passing into floral leaves, oblanceolate, obtuse, margins entire to shortly toothed in upper half, both surfaces hairy as the stems. Flowers many, corymbose at first, soon elongating into racemes up to c. 300 mm long, often panicled. Bracts (floral leaves) c. 20-35 x 2-5 mm at base of inflorescence; pair of true bracts ± immediately below calyx, lowermost c. 2.5-4.5 x 0.2-0.7 mm, hairy as leaves. Pedicels (lowermost) 4-7 mm long. Calyx tube c. 0.2-0.5 mm long, lobes 4.5-7 x 0.5-1.25 mm, glandular-pubescent, hairs 0.25-0.5 mm long, glistening glands as well. Corolla tube 23-28 x 1.5-1.8 mm, cylindric, abruptly expanded in throat and there c. 3-4 mm in diam., contracted abruptly to mouth and there c. 1.5 mm in diam., limb nearly regular, rotate, c. 15-21 mm across, lobes 6-9 x 5-7 mm, ± broadly cuneate, margins revolute and therefore lobes look oblong to the eye, tube and backs of lobes glandular-pubescent, hairs up to 0.4-0.6 mm long, glistening glands as well, upper surface of lobes glabrous except for a broad band of minute stalked glands around mouth, these also within upper part of throat above 2 patches of clavate hairs, limb greenish-cream to lime-yellow or primrose yellow, darkening with age, tube sometimes tinged with mauve, sweetly clove-scented at night. Stamens 4, anticous filaments 1-1.5 mm long, anthers 1.2-1.5 mm long, posticous filaments similar but almost knee-jointed, anthers 1.5-2 mm long. Stigma c. 1 mm long, hastate. Style 20-23 mm long. Ovary c. 3 x 1.25 mm, thickly clad in glistening glands, glandular hairs as well c. 0.2-0.3 mm long. Capsules c. 13-23 x 5-7 mm, oblong, valves acute, prominently hairy as ovary. Seeds c. 3.5-4 x 1 mm, elongate, with broad pale wings at both ends, these accounting for c. 2/3 total length of seed.