Phyllopodium lupuliforme (Thell.) Hilliard

Annual herb c. 65-150 mm tall, stem simple to branched from the base and higher, branches erect or somewhat decumbent, pilose with patent pointed hairs up to 1 mm long, below the lowest pair of leaves the hairs very short and retrorse, upper part of stem glandular-pubescent as well as pilose, in small plants stem tending to be leafy only at the base, in bigger, branching plants, stems leafy in lower two thirds or half, often scapose below the inflorescence. Leaves opposite below, sometimes alternate above, lowermost 2 or 3 pairs of leaves c. 12-27 x 4-9 mm including a short petiolar part, rhomboid to elliptic, becoming smaller and sessile upwards, margins entire to obscurely or distinctly serrate, blade thick-textured, pilose on both surfaces, hairs up to 1 mm long, 1.5 mm on petiolar part, short (c. 0.1 mm) stout pointed unicellular hairs on upper leaf margins. Flowers many in crowded rounded heads becoming oblong in fruit, solitary at the tip of each branch. Bracts at base of inflorescence c. 3.5-5 x 3-4.5 mm, smaller upwards, rhomboid-ovate, thick-textured, adnate to pedicel and lower half of calyx tube, lower surface (back) glabrous, upper surface and margins pilose with hairs to 1 mm Pedicels up to 0.5 mm long. Calyx obscurely bilabiate, tube c. 1.5 mm long, anticous lobes c. 1.75-2 x 1 mm, pubescent mainly on margins and keels. Corolla tube c. 3.5-4 mm long, 1.25 mm broad, widening in the upper half, limb c. 5 mm across the lateral lobes, posticous lobes c. 1-1.5 x 0.75-1.5 mm, anticous lobe c. 2.5-3 x 1.25-1.5 mm, all lobes elliptic-oblong, puberulous at base of posticous lip, colour unknown. Stamens 4, anthers c. 1 mm long. Stigma well exserted. Capsules c. 4 x 3 mm Seeds c. 0.6 x 0.5 mm, obscurely trigonous, colliculate, dark blue-grey.