Manulea psilostoma Hilliard

Annual herb, stems 45-230 mm tall, solitary or up to 6 tufted from the base, simple, glandular-puberulous, either nude or with 1 or 2 leaves. Leaves opposite and decussate, bases connate, crowded at base of stem, greatly reduced and alternate upwards; blade of radical leaves c. 14-50 x 5-20 mm, elliptic tapering to a petiolar part 2-22 mm long (very roughly up to half length of blade, usually much shorter), margins obscurely to sharply toothed, both surfaces glandular-puberulous. Flowers many in a thyrse. 20-40 mm in diam., crowded and subcapitate at apex, in robust stems individual cymules straggling down stem almost to base, cymules dichasial. Bracts (lowermost, as distinct from reduced leaves) c. 3-15 x 0.25-1.3 mm, linear, glandular-puberulous. Pedicels (lowermost) c. 2.5-5 mm long, shorter upwards. Calyx distinctly bilabiate, tube 0.3-0.4 mm long, anticous lobes 2.4-3.5 x 0.6-0.75 mm, anticous lip split 1.5-2.3 mm, posticous lobes 2.3-3.2 x 0.5-0.8 mm, posticous lip split 2.2-3.2 mm, tips of lobes subspathulate, minutely glandular-puberulous particularly on margins outside, occasional eglandular hairs to c. 0.25 mm on margins, very sparsely hairy inside. Corolla tube c. 4.8-6 x 1 mm in throat, cylindric, dilated near apex, limb c. 8.5-10 mm across the lateral lobes, nearly regular, posticous lobes 3-4.3 x 2.5-4.3 mm, anticous lobe 3.5-4.5 x 2.5-3.5 mm, all broadly elliptic to subrotund, white with yellow star-shaped patch around mouth, tube glandular-puberulous with occasional eglandular hairs to c. 0.1 mm, backs of lobes with very few glistening glands, inside a broad posticous band of clavate hairs running from ± point of insertion of posticous filaments and fanning out towards base of posticous lip, mouth glabrous. Stamens 4, anticous anthers 0.25-0.3 mm long, tips just visible in mouth, posticous anthers 0.6 mm long, included, posticous filaments bearded with dark hairs. Stigma 3.5-5.5 mm long, well exserted. Style 1-1.75 mm long. Ovary 1-1.5 x 0.5-0.8 mm. Capsules (young) c. 4 x 3 mm. Seeds (young) c. 0.5 x 0.4 mm, violet-blue.