Selago pulchra Hilliard

Dwarf shrublet 150-600 mm tall, virgately branched, branches up to c. 5 mm in diam., erect or decumbent, puberulous, hairs up to c. 0.1 mm long in narrow bands running down stem, ± patent, old parts bare, young parts closely leafy. Leaves fascicled, alternate, largest primary leaves 4.2-11 x 1-1.8 mm, linear-oblong or linear-lanceolate, apex acute or subacute, base slightly narrowed or not, half-clasping, margins entire, thickened, often looking strongly revolute at least when dry, texture rather thick, venation invisible, glandular-punctate, otherwise glabrous. Inflorescence composed of racemes c. 5-7 x 6-7 mm in first flower, soon elongating, flowers then rather lax, arranged in simple terminal panicles mostly c. 15-30 mm long, occasionally compounded. Bract adnate to ± two thirds of calyx tube, lowermost 2.3-3 x 1-1.3 mm, ovate-lanceolate, subacute, concave, hairs c. 0.1 mm long on margins only or glabrous. Pedicels 0-0.5 mm long. Calyx 1.5-2 mm long, obliquely 3-lobed or rarely anticolateral lobes bifid, anticolateral lobes broadly deltoid, much broader than posticous lobe, hairs c. 0.1 mm long on margins, few globular glands outside. Corolla tube 2-2.8 mm long, broadly funnel-shaped, limb 4-6 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.2-2 x 1-1.3 mm, anticous lobe 2-3 x 1.3-1.8 mm, all lobes elliptic, shades of violet-blue or rarely white, once recorded as 'variable colour; pale pink, pale mauve/white' but the plant is mostly in bud. Stamens: posticous filaments 2-2.7 mm long, anticous filaments 2.3-3.3 mm, all anthers far exerted. Ovary c. 0.8 x 0.6 mm. Cocci 1.6-1.8 x 1.3-1.5 mm, orange-brown, smooth, with two spurious cells in each coccus. Flowering between August and February, mostly December and January.