Polycarena rariflora Benth.

Annual herb, stem erect to 40-250 mm, simple or branched, often from the base, glandular-puberulous. Leaves: lowermost c. 10-25 x 1.25-3.5 mm, mostly elliptic to narrowly spathulate with a few obscure teeth, upper leaves 4-30 x 0.3-1.5 mm, mostly linear, entire or with 1 or 2 small teeth each side, all narrowed to the base, glandular-puberulous, often glabrescent. Inflorescence spicate, borne well above the leaves on terminal filiform peduncles, flowers 1 to several, often relatively distant, pedicels c. 0.5-1 mm long. Bracts 4-12 x 0.25-1 mm, decreasing in length upwards, adnate nearly to top of calyx tube, linear, glabrous inside, glandular-puberulous outside. Calyx 3-4 mm long, lobes very small, thinly membranous, each segment with a greenish keel, nearly always flushed purple around the sinus between the two lips, either glandular-puberulous particularly on the keels and margins of lobes, or hairs very few or wanting. Corolla tube 3-5 x 1.5-2 mm, glabrous, limb 3-5 mm across, or smaller if flowers cleistogamous, lobes oblong, obtuse, posticous ones 0.75-1 x 0.75-1 mm, anticous one 1.25-2.5 x 1-2 mm, posticous lip bearded at base, limb cream-coloured or white with an orange patch at base of posticous lip and often each lobe tipped with orange. Stamens normally exserted, anthers 0.5-0.75 mm long, or included in cleistogamous flowers, posticous filaments decurrent to base of tube. Stigma shortly exserted. Capsule 2.5-3.75 x 2-3 mm Seeds many, 0.75 mm long, 3-winged. Flowering from July to October, but mainly in August and September.