Manulea silenioides E.Mey. ex Benth.

Annual herb, stems 1-25 from the base, c. 30-300 mm long, erect to decumbent or nearly prostrate, simple to laxly branched mainly in upper part, puberulous, hairs up to 0.15-0.3 mm long, both gland-and balloon-tipped, balloon-tipped hairs often sparse on lower part of stem, either leafless or with 2 to a few tufted at base of branchlets. Leaves opposite, bases connate, mostly crowded near base, blade c. 6-40 x 3.5-15 mm, elliptic to oblanceolate tapering to a petiolar part c. 4-30 mm long, roughly equalling to half as long as blade, apex obtuse, margins obscurely to distinctly serrate, both surfaces pubescent, hairs up to 0.3-0.5 mm long, mostly glandular. Flowers many in terminal racemes, sometimes weakly paniculate, nearly always solitary in the axil of each bract. Bracts (lowermost) c. 1.5-10 x 0.5-1 mm, linear-lanceolate, or occasionally larger and leaflike. Pedicels (lowermost) c. 5-25 mm long, slightly shorter upwards. Calyx very obscurely bilabiate, tube 0.25-0.5 mm long, lobes 2.5-5.5 x 0.4-1 mm, lanceolate-oblong, tips sometimes subspathulate, pubescent all over, hairs up to 0.2-0.5 mm long, both gland-and balloon-tipped, ± sessile glistening glands as well. Corolla tube 3.5-5.5 x 0.8-1 mm in throat, cylindric, inflated near apex, limb almost regular, 6-12 mm across, lobes 2-4.5 x 2.2-5.5 mm, deltoid in outline, apex bilobed, frequently each lobe lobed again, usually mauve to blue, very rarely cream-coloured, with a yellow/orange star-shaped patch around mouth and extending down tube, puberulous outside, hairs up to 0.15 mm long, both gland-and balloon-tipped, inside a short posticous longitudinal band of clavate hairs and a transverse band in throat. Stamens 4, anticous anthers 0.2-0.4 mm long, posticous anthers 0.5-0.8 mm long, all included, posticous filaments bearded. Stigma 0.6-1.5 mm long, deeply included. Style 0.2-0.5 mm long, much shorter than stigma. Ovary 0.75-1.5 x 0.6-1 mm. Capsules c. 2-4 x 1.75-2.5 mm. Seeds c. 0.5-0.6 x 0.3 mm, pallid.