Annual herb c. 60-280 mm tall, stem occasionally simple, mostly corymbosely branched from about or above the middle, glandular-puberulous, the hairs mostly 0.1-0.2 mm long, an occasional hair reaching 0.25 mm, leafy, dwarf axillary shoots often present. Leaves 6-35 x 0.5-2(-3) mm, diminishing in width rather than in length upwards, linear to narrowly oblanceolate, entire or with 1-3 pairs of teeth, both surfaces sparsely glandular-puberulous. Flowers few to many (at least 10 in the main heads) in dense terminal heads corymbosely arranged, heads elongating slightly in fruit, pedicels up to 0.5-1.5 mm long. Bracts 9-17 x 0.5-1.5 mm long, adnate almost to top of calyx, linear, lowermost often with 1 or 2 pairs of teeth, glandular-puberulous on both surfaces, hairs mostly c. 0.1 mm long, always less than 0.2 mm, the gland very small, often narrower than the shaft of the hair. Calyx (5.5-)6-8 mm long, anticous lobes very short, posticous one 0.75-1 mm long, glandular-puberulous all over, hairs mostly c. 0.1 mm long, always less than 0.2 mm, the glandular head inconspicuous. Corolla tube 13.5-16 x 1-1.75 mm, glandular-puberulous, limb 8.5-12 mm across, lobes broadly elliptic, posticous ones 3-5 x 1.75-3.5 mm, anticous one 4-5 x 2.54 mm, pale mauve, yellow patch at base of posticous lip and there bearded, a few hairs extending onto the other 3 lobes. Stamens: anticous pair well exserted, anthers 1 mm long, posticous pair in throat, filaments decurrent to base of corolla tube, anthers 1.5 mm long. Stigma exserted. Capsule c. 4.5-6 x 3-4 mm Seeds many, c. 1 mm long, distinctly 3-winged.
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