Phyllopodium micranthum (Schltr.) Hilliard

Annual herb c. 40-150 mm tall, stem simple to sparingly branched from the base, always sparingly branched above except in very small plants, moderately leafy, glandular-puberulous on upper parts, hairs patent, c. 0.1 mm long, lower 2-3 internodes with equally small, retrorse, more or less curved eglandular hairs. Leaves opposite below, alternate above, lowermost c. 7-16 x 1.75-4 mm, oblanceolate to elliptic, narrowed to a petiolar part up to 1/3 total leaf length, diminishing rapidly in size upwards, uppermost narrowly elliptic to linear, margins entire to obscurely or sharply toothed, both surfaces sparsely puberulous, lower more densely than upper, hairs prominent on margins. Flowers up to c. 12 in slender racemes terminating short bare peduncles, lowermost flowers in largest racemes usually distant. Bracts 1.75-4(-7) x 0.5-1(-1.5) mm, mostly oblong, adnate to pedicel and calyx tube, minutely puberulous on inner face otherwise glabrous except for marginal hairs 0.3-0.75 mm long. Pedicels up to 0.5-1 mm long. Calyx obscurely bilabiate, tube 0.75-1.4 mm long, puberulous and with sessile glands as well, anticous lobes 1-1.5 x 0.5-0.75 mm, often flushed with purple particularly on keels and below sinuses, small patent hairs on margins. Corolla tube 1.5-2.5 x 0.75-0.8 mm, broadening in throat, limb (1-)1.5-2.5 mm across the lateral lobes, posticous lobes c. 0.5 x 0.4-0.5 mm, anticous lobe 0.75-1 x 0.5-0.75 mm (lobes sometimes reduced to 3 or 4), all lobes elliptic-oblong, white or cream, a few hairs at base of posticous lip or hairs wanting. Stamens normally 4, all exserted, sometimes 2 exserted, 2 in mouth, or showing various degrees of reduction to 2 fertile stamens, exserted, 1 or 2 staminodes or stamens with reduced anthers, these either in mouth or included, anthers up to 0.3 mm long. Stigma exserted but often curled back. Capsules 2-3 x 2 mm, often flushed purple at apex. Seeds c. 0.5 x 3 mm, colliculate, irregularly wrinkled, amber-coloured.