Selago nigrescens Rolfe

Dwarf woody shrublet or perennial herb c. 350-550 mm tall but will flower as a single-stemmed seedling only c. 200 mm tall, stoutest stem seen 5 mm in diam., main stems K erect or suberect, loosely virgately branched, old parts bare, young parts pubescent, hairs (' up to c. 0.15 mm long, retrorse, appressed or not, closely leafy. Leaves alternate, not fascicled, appressed or somewhat spreading-recurved, largest ones 3-5(-7) x 0.7-1(-1.3) mm, linear-oblong, apex obtuse, base scarcely narrowed, ± decurrent, margins entire, plane, texture moderately thick, venation invisible but midrib raised on lower surface when dry, glandular-punctate, otherwise glabrous. Inflorescence a. crowded spike c. 15-30 x 8-10 mm in flower, not elongating in fruit, each terminating a long leafy branchlet, mostly 2, sometimes 1 or 3, subsidiary spikes arising below terminal one or old bare persistent subspinescent inflorescence axis and much overtopping it. Bract adnate to extreme base of calyx tube, lowermost 2.8-4.3 x 0.6-0.9 mm, linear-lanceolate, subacute, glandular-punctate, hairs up to 0.25-0.5 mm long on lower margins and lower back, glandular hairs to 0.15 mm as well, minute globular glands on both surfaces. Pedicel wanting or up to 0.2 mm. Calyx 2-2.5 mm long, campanulate, sub-equally 5-lobed more than halfway to base, lobes triangular, acute, hairs up to 0.25-0.5 mm on margins and all over outside, glandular hairs as well up to 0.1-0.2 mm long, inside glabrous or rarely a very few acute hairs. Corolla tube 3.8-5 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 4-5 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.1-2.1 x 0.8-1 mm, anticous lobe 2-3 x 1-1.2 mm, all lobes oblong-elliptic, white. Stamens: posticous filaments 1.7-2.4 mm long, anticous filaments 1.8-2.6 mm, all anthers well exerted. Stigma and style 4-5.2 mm long, style with a few delicate acute hairs. Ovary c. 0.7 x 0.4 mm. Cocci 1.8-2.3 x 1-1.25 mm, red-brown, smooth, inner face plane, pair of cocci held within persistent calyx. Most flowering records are between September and November, with others made in March, April, May, June.