Manulea rubra L.F.

Perennial herb but can flower in seedling stage, taproot eventually woody and up to 10-20 mm diam. at the crown, stems c. 250-700 mm long, erect or decumbent, solitary in young plants, up to c. 16 in old ones, tufted from the base, simple or very sparingly branched at the base and there villous with spreading white acute hairs up to c. 0.4-1 mm long, rapidly diminishing upwards, the inflorescence axis glabrous or very nearly so, leafy only at or near the base, naked or very remotely bracteate upwards. Leaves opposite, bases connate, c. 25-100 x 3-12(-20) mm, oblanceolate, base petiole-like, apex subacute to ± obtuse, margins serrate, both surfaces villous, hairs mainly acute, up to 0.4-0.75 mm long, sparse and much shorter gland-tipped hairs also present. Flowers many in a long narrow lax terminal thyrse, up to 300(450) mm long in fruit, often simple, sometimes sparingly to quite richly branched, the branches sharply ascending, cymules dichasial, up to c. 11-flowered, seldom more. Bracts (lowermost) c. 2.5-11 x 1-2 mm, lanceolate or occasionally ± oblong with 1 or 2 teeth. Peduncles (of lowermost cymules) 2.5-11 mm long, pedicels very short or flowers sessile. Calyx very obscurely bilabiate, tube 0.25-1 mm long, lobes c. 1.1-2 x 0.4-0.8 mm, subspathulate, the tips somewhat thickened, acute hairs up to 0.2-0.4 mm long on margins together with minute gland-tipped hairs. Corolla tube 7.5-9 x 1-1.25 mm in throat, cylindric, inflated at apex, limb bilabiate, 6-8 mm across the lateral lobes, posticous lobes 2.1-3.8 x 1.2-2.5(-3) mm, anticous lobe 2.2-3.5 x 1.3-2(-2.6) mm, all elliptic, margins usually revolute, dark reddish-brown, opening paler, pubescent outside only on the backs of the lobes and on the inflated part of the tube or occasionally a few hairs near the base, inside 4-5 strong longitudinal bands of clavate hairs in throat. Stamens 4, anticous anthers 0.4-0.5 mm long, just included, posticous anthers 0.8-1 mm long, included, posticous filaments bearded. Stigma 0.7-1.75 mm long, shorter than style, included. Style 1.5-2.5 mm long. Ovary 1.25-1.5 x 0.5-0.8 mm, conical. Capsules c. 4-7 x 2.5-3 mm. Seeds c. 0.5 x 0.3 mm, violet-blue.