Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Small, erect, unbranched or few–branched subshrubs 10–40 cm tall.

Stems:

Roots: From a taproot, sometimes rooting from lower part of stem.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, clustered toward upper part of stem. Blades elliptic–lanceolate, 6–11 cm long, 1.3–2.7 cm wide. Apex acuminate. Base attenuate. Surfaces glabrous. Margins callose–serrulate. Lateral veins arcuate. Petioles 0.5–1.5(–2) cm long. Stipules thin, deltate, 8–10 mm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, margins fimbriate, at least some of the teeth 2–6 mm long.

Flowers: Flowers axillary, 1(–4) in the upper leaf axils, peduncles 5–15 mm long, pedicels 20–30(–50) mm long, bracteoles above middle. Flowers bisexual (perfect); apparently all chasmogamous. Calyx of 5 sepals, subequal, oblong–lanceolate, 5–6 mm long, imbricate, lateral ones slightly longer, base slightly prolonged, prolonged into appendages below the point of insertion, persistent. Corolla zygomorphic, consisting of 5 distinct petals, these unequal, lateral ones smaller than upper pair, petals white tinged purple or with purple veins, upper and lateral ones ca. 9–14 mm long, lower one ca.11.5–15 mm long, all petals glabrous. Stamens 5, ca. 3.4–3.7 mm long, connective of lower ones prolonged into a nose–shaped structure ca. 1 mm long, staminal filaments coherent around ovary; anther connective of lower Stamens prolonged into an appendage, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 3-carpellate, 1-celled; ovules numerous per placenta, anatropous, placentation parietal; style 1.

Fruit: Capsules with loculicidal dehiscence; 9–13.5 mm long. Seeds numerous; brown; obovoid; 1.9–2.2 mm long; ca. 1.2 mm in diameter; seed coat somewhat leathery; dull; apex rounded; with fleshy; oily endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 80

Habitat: Ridges and slopes.

Elevation Range: 850–980 m.