Monsonia brevirostrata R.Knuth

Prostrate to decumbent, slender, many-stemmed, annual of 10-30 cm high. Stems: primary stem stunted; the lateral branches up to 4
 long, 1-2.5 mm in diam., herbaceous, with a double indumentum the first of which is composed of a pubescence of curved hairs and the second of scattered long straight erect mostly gland-based hairs, with stalked glands. Leaves of the primary stem rosulate and of the lateral branches opposite or subopposite, those of a pair unequal, the smaller with lateral branches and/or inflorescences in the axil; the petiole with the same indumentum and glands as the stem, (0.5)1-2.5 x as long as the blade, (5)10-30(60) mm long, mostly flattened at the base; stipules subulate, with the same indumentum as the stem, 0.5-3 mm long; blade narrowly ovate to broadly ovate, 1-3 x as long as wide, 8-30 x 3-20 mm obtuse to acute and 3-toothed at the apex, obtuse to truncate at the base, serrate to dentate, glabrous or granulose on both sides, often with sessile glands, on the main veins beneath with curved hairs and also mostly with stalked and sessile glands, sparsely glandular-punctate on both sides; main veins pinnate or rarely subpinnate, often purplish. Inflorescences lateral, leaf-opposed or axillary, 1-2-flowered, 15-40 mm long. Peduncles and pedicels slender, with the same indumentum and glands as the stem; peduncles 1-2.5 x as long as the pedicels, 9-20 mm long, pedicels 4-10 mm long and geniculate under the fruit; involucral bracts 1-3 per flower, stipule-like. Sepals green, free, linear to very narrowly ovate, 3-5 x as long as wide, 4-5 x 1-1.5 mm; outside with the double indumentum of the stem, or with the long hairs only, these few or many, both the short and long hairs may be gland-based; inside glabrous to very obscurely pubescent, rarely with 3 parallel veins; margin ciliate; apex acute; mucro terete and 0.1-0.5 mm long. Petals narrowly obtriangular, 2.5-3.5 x as long as wide, 5-7 x 1.5-2.5 mm, 1-1.5 x as long as the sepals, 1.2-1.4 x as long as the stamens, white or mauve, blue or purplish-blue, outside and inside glabrous, venation dark blue or purplish, with 3 or 5 main veins, winged and obscurely ciliate at the base, obscurely sinuate or lobed at the apex. Stamens monadelphous, arranged in a cup-shaped column around the pistil; groups basally connate for 0.5-0.6 mm; filaments of each group basally connate for 1-2 mm; the filaments in the central stamens 3.5-4.5 mm and in the lateral 2.5-3 mm long, rarely terete at the apex, glabrous inside and obscurely hairy outside; an obscure, ovate gland-cavity with 2 parallel, vertical rims is situated on the outer side of the base of each group; anthers elliptic to broadly elliptic, 0.8-1 x 0.6-0.7 mm, subintrorse. Pistil 3.5-4.5 mm long; ovary broadly obovoid, 1 x 1 mm, hirto-pubescent; the beak also hirto-pubescent, longitudinally grooved, 1.5-2 mm long; stigmas clavate, 0.5-1 x 0.2 mm, outside glabrous, purplish, apex acute or obtuse, margin entire or subentire. Fruit 20-30 mm long, mericarps 5-8 x 1-1.5 mm, beak 15-25 mm long. Mericarps narrowly obconical, hirsute, often reticulate, rimmed and ridged at the apex; rim and ridge conspicuous and sharp-edged, oblique; tail hirsute outside, hispid inside where it detaches from the beak-axis; these stiff hairs long at the tail’s base and forming a crest. Seed narrowly obovoid, 3-3.6 x 0.8-1.2 mm, glabrous.