Selago ciliata L.F.

Perennial herb that will flower when only single-stemmed and little more than a seedling, eventually laxly virgately branched, stems solitary or few tufted from woody taproot, c. 30-300 mm tall, c. 1-6 mm in diam., erect, pubescent, hairs patent, up to 0.15-0.2 mm long, often with few to many coarse hairs as well, c. 0.5-0.8 mm long, ± in longitudinal bands, old parts bare, rough with persistent leaf bases, young parts closely leafy. Leaves opposite soon alternate upwards, not fascicled, sharply ascending, imbricate, largest 8-20 x 1-4 mm, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, apex acute, base contracted, subpetiolate, decurrent, margins entire, plane, texture leathery, venation invisible, glandular-punctate, coarse hairs 0.2-0.8 mm long on margins, upper surface glabrous, lower either glabrous or with few to many coarse hairs. Inflorescence a crowded terminal spike c. 10-15 mm in diam., often with ripe cocci in lower part, flowers and buds in upper, longest seen 90 mm but still not fully elongated, remaining crowded, solitary or a few loosely panicled. Bract adnate to calyx tube, lowermost 4-8 x 1.5-2 mm, lanceolate, acute, base concave, glandular-punctate, coarse hairs 0.15-0.8 mm long on margins, sometimes a few on keels and outer surface at apex. Pedicel wanting. Calyx 2-2.8 mm long, very deeply 3-lobed, anticolateral lobes 1.3-2 x 0.7-0.8 mm, narrowly triangular, hairs 0.15-0.2 mm long on margins and keels, very minute glandular hairs on margins as well, few globular glands outside, inside very minutely glandular. Corolla tube 4.5-5.7 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 4.2-6 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.6-2 x 1-1.3 mm, anticous lobe 2.2-3 x 1-1.4 mm, all lobes oblong-elliptic, notes on colour meagre, 5 records of shades of mauve, one 'mauvy-white', one white. Stamens: posticous filaments 2-2.5 mm long, anticous filaments 2-3 mm, all anthers well exerted. Stigma and style 4.5-8 mm long, style glabrous. Ovary c. 0.5 x 0.5 mm, glabrous. Cocci 1.4-1.8 x 0.8-1 mm, light red-or yellow-brown, outside finely transversely wrinkled, inside plane. Flowers may be found in any month, though no records in January, February and March have been seen.