Selago villicaulis Rolfe

Perennial herb c. 200-600 mm tall, main stem c. 2-4 mm diam., simple to sparingly branched low down, these branches rodlike and branching above into the compound inflorescence, villous, hairs c. 0.5-1 mm long, spreading to somewhat recurved, either all round stem or arranged in weakly to strongly delineated longitudinal bands, closely leafy. Leaves fascicled, opposite, soon alternate upwards, largest primary leaves 6-15 x 0.7-1.5 mm, linear, apex acute, base broad, decurrent down stem in a broad band (this band sometimes glabrous or nearly so), margins entire, revolute, glandular-punctate, mostly with hairs c. 0.2-0.7 mm long scattered along margins and midline on lower surface, sometimes hairs very sparse, small leaves on brachyblasts sometimes glabrous. Inflorescence a crowded terminal raceme c. 10-20 x 10 mm, these often further arranged in a crowded corymbose panicle or a more elongated narrow panicle up to c. 100 x 50 mm. Bract adnate to calyx tube, lowermost 3.2-4.1 x 1-1.1 mm, lanceolate, acute, concave in lower part, hairs up to 0.25-0.4 mm long confined to margins. Pedicels, if present, up to c. 0.5 mm long. Calyx 2-2.2 mm long, somewhat obliquely campanulate, lobed up to halfway, lobes 3-5, the two anticous lobes much broader than other three, sometimes one or both wholly or partially united with the adjacent lateral lobe, hairs up to 0.2-0.25 mm long on margins, a few on tube on posticous side together with small globose glands. Corolla tube 3.5-5.5 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 4-7 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.6-2.2 x 1-1.25 mm, anticous lobe 2.2-3.3 x 1.1-1.7 mm, all lobes oblong, shades of violet and lavender. Stamens: posticous filaments 2-2.7 mm long, anthers shortly exerted; anticous filaments 2.4-3.5 mm long, anthers well exerted. Stigma and style c. 4-7 mm long, style pubescent. Ovary c. 0.7 x 0.6 mm. Cocci c. 2 x 1.5 mm, brown, rugulose, with two conspicuous spurious cells bulging out on either side of the relatively narrow fertile part. Most collections were made between April and August, but possibly flowers can be found in any month.