[Unable to display]

n = 21

n = 21

2n = 42

n = 21

Prostrate to erect woody subshrub, usually forming open straggling patches about 20 cm (but up to 1 m) across and up to 50 cm tall. Stems woody, sparsely branched, densely bifariously (rarely uniformly) pubescent (sometimes glabrous), brown, sometimes reddish or almost black, paler with age, rooting at lower nodes when in contact with the ground, leaf scars prominent. Leaves decussate, flattened into one plane on prostrate stems, lamina linear, lanceolate, ovate, obovate, rhomboid or obtrullate, serrate, glabrous except sometimes for midrib above, usually dark green above, sometimes light green or glaucescent, dull or shining, paler green or almost white beneath, (5)-7-40-(90) × 3)-5-20-(30) mm, apex acute, rarely subacute or obtuse, midrib depressed above, prominent below, leaf base sometimes truncate or subcordate but usually cuneately narrowed into short adaxially pubescent petiole (1)—2—5 × 1 mm, or leaf subsessile. Racemes axillary, erect, 6-30-(50)-flowered, peduncles 3-10 cm long, usually stout, glabrous or rarely pubescent; lower bracts often subfoliaceous, upper bracts linear to narrow-ovate, glabrous to hairy, sometimes glandular, 3—5—(10) mm long; pedicels slender, pubescent to glandular, sometimes glabrous, 6-10-(20) mm long. Calyx 4-lobed, tube very short, lobes ovate to obovate, acute, often acuminate by incurved margins, ciliolate, sometimes glandular, 2-5 mm long. Corolla white, rarely pale lavender, 8-12 mm diameter, tube yellow and pubescent within, 0.5-1 mm long, surrounded by magenta or purple (rarely pale mauve) ring at throat giving off radiating magenta or purple nectar guides to lobes, especially the posterior lobe (see Garnock- Jones 1976, fig. 1B), lobes four, unequal, 4-7 × 2-6 mm, ovate-oblong to suborbicular, obtuse, posterior lobe often emarginate to almost divided, lateral lobes longitudinally folded. Stamens spreading, 3-6 mm long, anthers held in folds of lateral corolla lobes. Ovary c. 1 mm long, style 3- 7 mm long, glabrous. Capsule exceeding the calyx (sometimes only slightly), narrowly to broadly obcordate, only slightly flattened, angustiseptate, glabrous, 2.5-4 × 2.5-4 mm, dehiscing by a septicidal split to the base and a loculicidal split c. half way to the base, style usually persistent for a while. Seeds many, oval, flattened, light brown, c. 1 × 0.6 mm.

Subshrub, 5–50 cm tall. Old stems brown or red-brown. Branches ascending to erect. Branchlets brown or red-brown or green or purplish. Vegetative internodes (5–)10–40(–50) mm long. Stem pubescence bifarious, eglandular pubescent (antrorse, curved). Leaves decussate, erecto-patent to spreading. Lamina linear or lanceolate or oblanceolate or elliptic (rarely), (20–)30–70(–120) × (5–)10–20(–30) mm. Adaxial surface of leaves green, dull. Abaxial surface of leaves whitish, dull. Leaf hairs numerous to dense, along midrib above (especially near base), uniseriate eglandular and glandular with short 1-celled stalk and small vertically divided head. Apex acute. Base cuneate. Margin glabrous, serrate. Marginal teeth or lobes in (5–)8–20(–25) pairs. Petiole (2–)4–10 mm long. Inflorescence racemose, unbranched, (6–)10–20(–25) cm long at fruiting, with 12–40 flowers. Indumentum of peduncle, rachis, and pedicels moderately dense to very dense. Eglandular hairs of inflorescence antrorse, rust brown. Peduncle (3–)6–10 cm long, eglandular-pubescent and glandular-pubescent; hairs in 1 row. Rachis (4–)7–12 cm long, eglandular-pubescent and glandular-pubescent, hairs in 1 row above each bract. Bracts alternate (spiralled), acute to acuminate, glabrous or ciliate with both glandular and eglandular hairs (rarely), linear. Bract margins entire. Pedicels suberect at anthesis, incurved at fruiting, (9–)12–17(–23) mm long, eglandularpubescent or glandular-pubescent; hairs in 1 row (or rarely more-or-less uniform). Flowers: Calyx 4- lobed, 2.5–4 mm long. Calyx lobes lanceolate or ovate, acuminate (by folding). Calyx hairs on margins only, eglandular or mixed eglandular and glandular. Calyx lobe margins entire. Corolla white at anthesis. Nectar guides evident, present on posterior and lateral corolla lobes. Colour ring and nectar guides purple. Corolla throat yellow. Corolla (10–)12–14 mm diam. Corolla tube 1–1.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, hairy inside, hairs short. Corolla lobes glabrous. Posterior corolla lobe circular, obtuse, (5–) 6–7 × (4–)5–6 mm. Lateral corolla lobes circular, obtuse, longitudinally folded around stamens, 5–7 × (5–)6–7 mm. Anterior corolla lobe elliptic or rhomboid, obtuse, 5–6 × 2.5–3.5 mm. Stamen filaments white, (3–)4–6 mm long, narrowed at base. Anthers magenta, when dry and dehisced 1 mm long. Nectarial disc ciliolate. Ovary ellipsoid, obtuse to emarginate, glabrous, 0.8–1 mm long. Style 4–5 (–6) mm long. Stigma 0.2 mm wide. Capsules xerochastic, broadly angustiseptate (i.e., weakly flattened), emarginate, 3.5–4(–5) × 3.5–4(–5) mm, 1.5 (–2) mm thick, glabrous. Septicidal split of capsule extending to base. Loculicidal split of capsule extending 3⁄4 way to base. Seeds approx. 20–50 per locule, strongly flattened, smooth-surfaced, broadly ellipsoid or discoid, pale brown, 0.8 × 0.7–0.8 mm.