Spermacoce latituba (K.Schum.) Verdc.

Annual herb with ascending stems to over 50 cm. tall; stems 4-angled, glabrous to densely pilose.. Leaf-blades linear-elliptic, 1–4.7 cm. long, 0.2–1.25 cm. wide, acute at the apex, narrowed at the base into the stipule-sheath, very shortly scabrid above and on the margin, or densely pilose above, glabrous to scabrid beneath; petioles ± obsolete; stipule-bases glabrous or scabrid-pubescent, 2 mm. long, with 4 fimbriae 1.5–3.5 mm. long.. Flowers in well spaced clusters in the axils of the apical 3–5 nodes; leaf-like bracts 1–3.5 cm. long; stipuliform bracteoles with ciliate fimbriae 8 mm. long.. Calyx-tube ellipsoid, glabrous or hairy above, 2 mm. long; lobes 4, triangular-lanceolate, 3 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide, closely scabridulous-ciliate along the margins or sometimes quite hairy.. Corolla white with faint mauve stripes; tube funnel-shaped, 8 mm. long, ± 7–8 mm. wide at the throat but strongly narrowed at the base to ± 1 mm.; lobes triangular, 3–4.5 mm. long, 3.2 mm. wide, glabrous to pubescent outside.. Filaments exserted 2 mm.. Style exserted 4–6 mm.; stigma capitate, 0.8 mm. wide.. Inflorescences up to 1.8 cm. wide in fruit.. Capsule oblong-ellipsoid, 4 mm. long and wide, finely transversely wrinkled, glabrous or hairy above, crowned with the persistent calyx-lobes.. Seeds brown, oblong-ellipsoid, 3 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, 1 mm. thick, deeply grooved beneath.. Fig. 49/9, p. 340.