Phyllopodium pumilum Benth.

Annual herb c. 40-190 mm tall, stem simple to well branched from the base, branches divaricate, eventually producing a rounded twiggy bushlet, each twig terminating in a capitate inflorescence, stems pubescent with eglandular hairs c. 0.3-0.75 mm long, retrorse and appressed on upper parts, tending to spread lower down, often minutely glandular-puberulous as well on upper parts, leafy. Leaves opposite becoming alternate upwards, blade of lowermost leaves 2.5-17 x 1.75-13 mm, ovate to elliptic, tapering abruptly or more gradually into a petiolar part c. 1.5-20 mm long (up to c. twice as long as blade), upper leaves rapidly smaller and petiolar part less conspicuous, oblanceolate, margins entire to obscurely few-toothed, both surfaces pubescent, hairs on lower margins up to 0.5-0.75 mm long. Flowers few to several in crowded heads c. 3-7 mm in diam., elongating slightly in fruit. Bracts: lowermost c. 2.5-4 x 1-1.75 mm, rarely slightly longer and leaf-like, mostly broadly to narrowly elliptic, shorter and narrower upwards, adnate to pedicel and about halfway up calyx tube, puberulous on backs, patent hairs up to 0.5-1.5 mm on margins. Pedicels of lowermost flowers up to 0.5 mm long, shorter upwards. Calyx bilabiate, tube 0.75-1.5 mm long, anticous lobes 1-1.5 x 0.5-0.75 mm, pubescent, hairs up to 0.25-0.4 mm long. Corolla tube 2-2.75 x 0.75-1.2 mm, widening slightly in throat, limb 4-5 mm across the lateral lobes, posticous lobes c. 0.6-1 x 0.5-1 mm, anticous lobes c. 2-2.5 x 0.75-1.3 mm, all lobes elliptic-oblong, white to lilac-mauve, bearded at base of posticous lip, a few hairs sometimes on lateral lobes. Stamens 4, anthers 0.5-0.75 mm long. Stigma well exserted. Capsules 2-3.5 x 1.5-1.75 mm Seeds 0.4-0.5 mm long, elliptic in outline, smooth, dark blue-grey.