Spermacoce pusilla Wall.

Herbs, apparently annual, slender, erect, to 60 cm tall; stems subterete to 4-angled, glabrous to densely scaberulous at least along angles or ridges. Leaves subsessile; blade drying papery to leathery, linear-oblong, 12-50 × 2.5-6 mm, adaxially densely scaberulous to hispidulous, abaxially glabrous or often pilosulous, hirtellous, or hispidulous along midrib, base generally straight (i.e., not tapering), margins often revolute at least when dry, apex acute to acuminate; secondary veins 2 or 3 pairs or not visible; stipules densely pilosulous or scaberulous often with unusual clavate trichomes, sheath 1-2.5 mm, with 5-7 bristles 2-6.5 mm. Inflorescences terminal and axillary at most stem nodes, 5-12 mm in diam., several to many flowered; bracts filiform, 1-4 mm. Calyx glabrescent to densely puberulent or hirtellous; hypanthium portion turbinate, ca. 0.5 mm; lobes 4, linear-lanceolate, 1-1.5 mm. Corolla funnelform, white tinged red on upper parts, outside glabrous; tube 1.2-1.5 mm, glabrous in throat; lobes linear-lanceolate to triangular, 0.8-1.5 mm, sometimes pubescent inside near tips. Capsules sometimes shortly stipitate, oblong or subobovate to ellipsoid, usually weakly flattened perpendicular to septum, 1-2 × 1-1.5 mm, glabrescent at base, glabrescent to densely hirtellous near apex, septicidal from apex with valves often remaining connected at base, then both valves loculicidal through septum and often partially splitting abaxially; seeds dark brown, narrowly oblong in outline, 1.3-2.2 × ca. 0.5 mm, obtuse at both ends, shiny, smooth. Fl. and fr. Aug-Dec.