Annual herb, but sometimes perennating, stems 35-400 mm long, simple to well-branched from the base, erect, decumbent or possibly sprawling, base woody, branches leafy throughout, glandular-pubescent, hairs patent, up to 0.5 mm long. Leaves opposite becoming alternate upwards and passing imperceptibly into the floral bracts, blade of largest leaves c. 6-23 x 4-14 mm, gradually smaller upwards, rhomboid or ovate in outline contracted more or less abruptly to a flat petiolar part c. 3-20 mm long, often 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the blade or about equalling it, upper margins deeply and coarsely toothed, teeth in 3-7 pairs, a few teeth sometimes with a secondary tooth, both surfaces glandular-pubescent. Flowers many in crowded heads rapidly elongating into long somewhat lax racemes, lowermost flowers often distant in axils of upper leaves, racemes often solitary at branch tips, sometimes secondary, shorter, racemes developing below them. Bracts at base of racemes leaf-like, often c. 6-18 x 3-7 mm including the petiolar part, smaller, narrower and eventually linear-oblong upwards, glandular-pubescent as in leaves, mostly adnate only to pedicel, to extreme base of calyx tube as well in uppermost flowers. Pedicels at base of racemes 1-3 mm long. Calyx obscurely bilabiate, tube 0.5-1 mm long, anticous lobes 2-4 x 0.6-1.1 mm, anticous lip split 2-4 mm, calyx glandular-pubescent all over. Corolla tube (3.25-)4-7.5 x 0.8-1.3 mm, cylindric below, abruptly funnel-shaped above, whole corolla sparsely glandular-puberulous outside, limb (4-)5-10 mm across lateral lobes; posticous lobes (1-)1.5-2.5 x 1-2.5 mm, anticous lobe (1.5-)2.5-5 x (1-)1.75-3 mm, all lobes elliptic-oblong, whitish to pale mauve-blue, two orange patches at base of posticous lip and there bearded with a few coarse clavate hairs. Stamens 4, all exserted, posticous filaments briefly decurrent on tube, all anthers 0.4-0.6 mm long, very dark in colour or sometimes pale. Style either exserted or in small flowers appearing to curl round anthers. Capsule 4-5 x 2.5-3 mm Seeds up to c. 14, 0.75-1 x 0.5 mm, roughly trigonous, one face obscurely furrowed longitudinally, the other two irregularly wrinkled longitudinally, testa slate grey or greenish, probably cream or blue-grey when fully ripe. Flowering begins in September and October and by December plants are passing into fruit, but some flowers may be found as late as February.
More
Annual, sometimes perennial herb or suffrutex, up to 0.4 m high; stems simple or basally branched, often bushy, leafy; glandular hairy. Leaves opposite but alternate upwards along stem; petiolate, rhomboid or ovate, largely paired-dentate above. Flowers axillary, in dense, bracteate heads, later in long, loose, terminal racemes, often single or with smaller racemes below. Corolla: tube cylindric below, suddenly funnel-shaped above; limb white, pale blue or mauvish blue with orange or yellow patch at base of upper lip decurrent in tube. Flowering time Nov., Feb.
Glandular-hairy annual or short-lived perennial. Leaves opposite becoming alternate above and passing into bracts. Flowers in heads elongating into racemes, corolla tube glandular-hairy, white to pale mauve, with 2 orange patches at base of upper lobes.
Glandular-hairy annual or short-lived perennial. Leaves opposite becoming alternate above and passing into bracts. Flowers in heads elongating into racemes, tube glandular-hairy, white to pale mauve with 2 orange patches at base of upper lobes.
Home
