Phyllopodium multifolium Hiern

Annual herb 80-370 mm tall, stems simple to well-branched from the base, leafy becoming bracteate upwards, base woody, branches virgate, usually glandular-puberulous in upper part, or eglandular, retrorse, somewhat curved hairs c. 0.25-0.5(-1) mm long predominating there as they do lower down the stem, where they are sometimes more or less confined to two broad bands. Leaves opposite and often quasi-fasciculate on lower part becoming alternate and distant upwards, passing into bracts, c. 6-35 x 0.5-12 mm, sometimes linear, often narrowly oblanceolate, the lowermost broadly oblanceolate to ovate and narrowed below into a distinct petiolar part, apex acute, base narrowed, margins usually obscurely to distinctly toothed, teeth in 3-5 pairs, blade usually glabrous except for patent hairs on margins and midrib on lower surface, sometimes glandular-puberulous as well on lower part. Flowers many, in crowded heads rapidly elongating into long narrow crowded spikes, lowermost flowers often distant. Bracts 4-5(-12) x 0.4-0.8-(1.5) mm, linear-lanceolate to narrowly spathulate, usually glandular-puberulous all over, or these hairs sometimes sparse, long (0.4-1 mm) eglandular hairs as well particularly on margins, or these sometimes wanting, adnate to the short calyx tube. Pedicels 0-0.5 mm Calyx obscurely bilabiate, deeply lobed, tube 0.5-1 mm long, anticous lobes 2-2.75 x 0.3-0.6 mm, whole calyx glandular-puberulous, margins of lobes often with long (c. 0.5 mm) patent eglandular hairs as well. Corolla tube 3.75-5 x 0.75-1 mm, broadening in throat, limb 4.5-7 mm across the lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.2-1.75 x 0.8-1.5 mm, anticous lobe 2-3.2 x 1-2 mm, all lobes elliptic-oblong, mauve or blue with a yellow patch at base of posticous lip, which is heavily bearded, hairs often on lower lip as well. Stamens 4, anthers 0.75-0.8 mm long. Stigma well exserted. Capsule 2.5-3 x 1.5-2 mm Seeds 0.75-1 x 0.5 mm, obscurely trigonous, somewhat colliculate and wrinkled, amber-coloured.