Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual herbs.

Stems:

Roots: Taprooted.

Leaves: Leaves simple. Leaves basal. Blades linear to narrowly oblanceolate, 2–20 cm long, 0.05–0.5(–1) cm wide, blades undifferentiated from petioles. Upper surfaces usually glabrous; lower surfaces ± villous. Margins entire. Sheathing. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in scapes 4–25 cm long, antrorsely strigose or ascending long–villous; spikes 3–6(–15) cm long, sparsely to densely hirsute. bracts linear, to 1–3 cm long, those in the central part of the spike ca. 3–6 times longer than sepals, sparsely to densely hirsute, margins narrowly scarious near base, bracteoles absent. Flowers bisexual (perfect). Calyx of 4 sepals, narrowly oblong–obovate, imbricate 2–3 mm long, hirsute, scarious toward apex. Corolla zygomorphic, 4-lobed, the lobes broadly ovate, 1.8–2.2 mm long, scarious spreading after anthesis, salverform, persistent in fruit, the tube covering the upper part of the capsule. Stamens 4, alternate with the corolla tubes; filaments adnate to corolla tube; anthers long–exserted, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, with as many cells; ovules 2, placentation axile; stigmas protruding from buds; style 1, terminal, slender.

Fruit: Capsules ellipsoid; 2.8–3.5 mm long; dehiscent slightly below middle; circumscissile at or below the middle; enclosed in the persistent calyx. Seeds 2; brown; ellipsoid; ca. 2.5 mm long; outer side strongly convex; inner side concave; the cavity surrounded by a pale stripe; hilum resembling a figure 8; with well–developed; firm; translucent endosperm.

Ploidy: 2n = 20

Habitat: Pastures and disturbed areas.

Elevation Range: ca. 1,220 m.