Annual herb, primary stem 30-250 mm tall, simple to well branched from the base and above, lowest branches decumbent or ascending, either glabrous, glabrous in the upper half pubescent in the lower with ± retrorse acute hairs up to 0.25-0.5 mm long, or sparsely pubescent throughout, smaller plants sometimes leafless between radical leaves and inflorescence, larger ones remotely leafy. Leaves: radical leaves in 1 or 2 pairs, blade c. 3-20 x 2-8 mm, ovate to elliptic tapering into a flat petiolar part 1-20 mm long (mostly ± equalling blade), cauline leaves c. 5.5-40 x 0.8-3 mm, linear, ± obtuse, margins of all leaves entire to very obscurely denticulate, nearly glabrous, a few hairs up to c. 1 mm long on lower margins and dorsal midline. Flowers 1-c. 15 in a terminal capitate spike elongating in fruit but still crowded, open in sunshine. Bracts adnate to calyx for 4-5 mm, lowermost c. 10-25 x 0.8-1.1 mm, linear, entire, almost glabrous, a few acute hairs up to 0.6-1.4 mm long on margins only. Calyx 5-7 mm long, lips 2.5-3 mm long, glabrous except for fine acute hairs up to 0.3-0.6 mm long fringing the lobes. Corolla tube 17-20 mm long (throat 1.5-2 mm in diam.), very minutely puberulous with scattered glands or these confined to swollen part of tube only, limb c. 8-16 mm in diam., almost regular, mouth thickly bearded with long clavate hairs extending out onto lower part of each lobe, lobes 3.5-6 x 2.5-4.2 mm, elliptic, bright yellow with a dark orange median bar extending about 1/3 of the way up the lobe. Stamens 4, anticous pair exserted, anthers, 0.7-1.8 mm long, posticous pair included, anthers 1-2 mm long. Stigma 2.5-5 mm long, exserted. Style 10.5-14 mm long. Ovary c. 34 x 0.8-1 mm. Capsules c. 7-12 x 34 mm. Seeds not seen.
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