Selago fruticosa L.

Dwarf woody shrublet but will flower when young and only single-stemmed, c. 150-450 mm tall, branching from base, ± divaricately very well branched above, stems eventually thick (6 mm in diam. when 200 mm long) and woody, puberulous, hairs up to 0.1 mm long, ± recurved, closely leafy. Leaves opposite, alternate upwards, not fascicled, largest ones 1.2-7 x 0.5-1 mm, ranging from appressed to spreading or recurved, linear, apex obtuse, base scarcely narrowed, decurrent, margins entire, plane, slightly thickened, texture moderately thick, midrib slightly raised on lower surface particularly at base thence running down stem as a raised ridge, glandular-punctate, sometimes oozing, otherwise usually glabrous (in Malmesbury-Mamre-Darling area sometimes with few hairs on margins and midline). Inflorescence a globose or oblong crowded spike c. 10-30 x 10-12 mm in flower, (much narrower when flowers female), scarcely elongating in fruit, terminating each main branch and many short (c. 20-50 mm) leafy lateral branchlets; lateral branchlets sometimes sterile and overtopping the terminal spike. Bract adnate to base of calyx tube, lowermost 2.8-4 x0.7-1.2 mm, lanceolate, ± acute, hairs up to 0.2-0.5 mm long on lower margins, lowermost often glabrous on back, at least upper ones with hairs c. 0.1-0.2 mm long on lower back, glandular-punctate as well, glands sometimes oozing. Pedicel wanting or up to 0.1 mm long. Calyx 1.8-2.2 mm long, campanulate, 5-lobed roughly halfway to base, two anticous lobes slightly broader then other three, hairs up to 0.2-0.5 mm long on margins, slightly shorter all over outside together with minute globular glands, glabrous inside. Corolla tube 4.2-5.7 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 3.6-5 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.3-2 x 0.7-1.2 mm, anticous lobe 1.8-2.8 x 0.8-1.2mm, all lobes oblong-elliptic, white probably fading to cream (female flowers always smaller). Stamens: posticous filaments 1.3-1.8 mm long, anthers in mouth or briefly exserted; anticous filaments 1.8-2.5 mm long, anthers well exserted. Stigma and style c. 4.3-6.2 mm long, style glabrous. Ovary c. 0.6 x 0.4 mm, glabrous. Cocci 1.6-1.8 x 0.8-1 mm, red-brown, smooth, inner face plane, the pair of cocci held within the persistent calyx. Flowering principally in September but as early as July and on into October.