Selago burchellii Rolfe

Perennial herb up to 1 m tall, stems several from a woody taproot, sparingly branched, branches sometimes straggling, c. 2-3 mm in diam., pubescent, hairs c. 0.3-1 mm long, ± patent, mostly arranged in strongly to weakly delineated longitudinal bands, occasionally all round stem, closely leafy. Leaves fascicled, opposite becoming alternate upwards, largest primary leaves 7-17 x 2-4 mm, elliptic, apex acute or subacute, base broad, decurrent down stem, margins entire, slightly revolute, glandular-punctate, hairs 0.15-0.6 mm long mostly confined to margins and nearby and midline on lower surface, sometimes more plentiful and extending to both surfaces. Inflorescence composed of few-flowered racemes c. 10 x 8 mm arranged in narrow terminal panicles up to c. 120 x 30 mm. Bract adnate to calyx tube, lowermost 2.5-4.4 x 1-1.6 mm, lanceolate-elliptic, almost flat, hairs c. 0.2-0.6 mm long confined to margins, or rarely a few hairs on lower bracts. Pedicels (if present) up to c. 0.4 mm long. Calyx 1.2-1.8 mm long, somewhat obliquely campanulate, mostly 5-lobed roughly halfway to base, the 2 anticous lobes broader than the other three, occasionally the anticolateral lobes wholly or partly fused to give a 3-or 4-lobed calyx, hairs c. 0.15-0.3 mm long on margins, a few tiny globose glands on tube, occasionally a few hairs as well on posticous side. Corolla tube 2.2-3 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 4.2-5 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.4-2 x 0.8-1.3 mm, anticous lobe 2.1-2.8 x 1.1-1.6 mm, all lobes oblong, shades of lilac and lavender. Stamens: posticous filaments 1.7-2.2 mm long, anticous filaments 2.3-3 mm long, all anthers well exerted. Stigma and style c. 3.5-5 mm long, style with at least a few hairs. Ovary c. 0.6 x 0.5 mm. Cocci not seen, but 2 spurious cells clearly visible even in young ovaries.