Spermacoce natalensis Hochst.

Perennial erect, prostrate or trailing herb 15–55 cm. long or tall; stems branched or ± unbranched, 4-ribbed, glabrous except at nodes.. Leaf-blades ± linear, elliptic, or oblong-elliptic to narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 0.8–4.5 cm. long, 1.5–8.5(–16) mm. wide, subacute at the apex, narrowed to the base, scabrid with very short hairs near the margins above but otherwise glabrous; petiole obsolete; stipules with base ± 1 mm. long, pubescent, bearing 5 fimbriae 2–4.5 mm. long.. Flowers in small clusters at most nodes, often appearing a little 1-sided due to the fact that they are present in 1 axil only; clusters to 8 mm. in diameter in fruiting stage; bracts stipule-like, with filiform fimbriae 2–2.5 mm. long.. Calyx-tube obconic, 1.2–1.5 mm. long, glabrous; limb-tube ± 0.2 mm. long; lobes 4, linear-lanceolate to oblong-triangular, 1–1.8 mm. long, sometimes reddish brown.. Corolla white; tube 1 mm. long; lobes triangular, 1.2–1.8 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, densely white hairy inside, obscurely papillate outside.. Anthers borne at the sinuses.. Style and stigma together very short, 0.3 mm. long.. Capsule squarish with rounded sides in outline, 1.2–1.3 mm. long, 1.5–1.8 mm. wide, compressed, 1 mm. thick, glabrous, very finely transversely wrinkled, pitted inside the valves, crowned with the persistent lobes.. Seeds blackish purple, 1.3 mm. long, 0.65 mm. wide, 0.4 mm. thick, deeply densely punctate.. Fig. 50/17, p. 342.