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Information Delicate weak straggling (annual?) herb; stems decumbent or suberect, rooting at the nodes, red or green tinged with red, glabrous or somewhat pilose on very young parts only. Leaves spirally arranged, sessile or with the lamina tapering into a very short petiole; lamina (0·7) 1·5–3·5 (5·5) × (0·4) 0·7–1·8 (2·3) cm., ovate to ovate-lanceolate, rarely narrowly elliptic, membranous, glabrous or sparsely pilose, dark green on the upper surface, greyish or glaucous on the lower one, apex acute, margin serrate and ciliate towards the base, base cuneate (usually narrowly so); secondary nerves 5–8 pairs, ± prominent beneath. Flowers in few-flowered axillary fascicles, pinkish (details of colours not known); bracts up to 3 mm. long, triangular-subulate, acute, usually glabrous; pedicels (0·8) 1·2–2 (2·5) cm. long, very slender, pilose, sometimes glabrescent. Lateral sepals 2·2–3 (3·75) × 1–1·25 mm., lanceolate-triangular, acute, glabrous or pilose; posterior sepal 4·5–6 (7) mm. long, 1·4–1·8 mm. deep, shallowly and obliquely navicular, abruptly constricted into the spur, distally acute to subcaudate, apparently glabrous except for a row of long hairs on the keel-line; spur up to 20 mm. long, slender, slightly incurved, tapering towards the somewhat swollen end. Anterior petal 3·5–6 mm. high and 4·5–7 mm. broad (when flattened), helmet-shaped, dorsally narrowly cristate with the crest terminating in an acute point, glabrous. Lateral united petals 5–10 (13) mm. long, deeply 2-lobed, glabrous; lobes usually separated by a sinus, rarely overlapping; anterior lobe c. 0·8 × 0·6 mm., oblong-obovate; posterior lobe c. 4·8 × 5·6 mm., broadly obcuneate, always truncate and often slightly retuse at the upper margin (see t. 26 fig. 8). Ovary glabrous. Capsule up to 7 mm. long, fusiform, glabrous. Seeds numerous, c. 1·5 × 0·95 mm., obovate-oblong in outline, bright or reddish-brown, papillose.

Information Shrubby perennial herb, usually much branched, 25–60 (100) cm. high; stems erect or spreading, succulent, with swollen nodes, light green tinged with red or red, pilose (mainly on younger parts), glabrous or glabrescent. Leaves spirally arranged, petiolate; lamina (2·5) 3·5–6 (7·5) × (2) 2·5–3·5 (4) cm., usually ovate, rarely ovate-lanceolate or ovate-oblong, apex acute and usually acuminate, margin crenulate-denticulate to serrate, base cuneate (usually broadly so) rarely rounded, membranous, mid-green or yellowish-green and shining above, paler green or greyish-green below, the marginal teeth often red, usually sparsely pilose on the upper surface, glabrous on the lower one, but sometimes also pilose below (mainly on the nerves), rarely quite glabrous on both surfaces; secondary nerves 6–8 pairs; petiole 0·5–1·8 (2·5) cm. long, subcanaliculate, usually pilose, rarely glabrous. Flowers axillary, usually solitary, rarely in pairs or fascicles of three, pinkish, lilac, pink-magenta, or purplish; bracts up to 3·5 mm. long, subulate; pedicels (2) 3–6 (7) cm., slender, usually pilose, rarely glabrous, sometimes glabrescent. Lateral sepals 2·9–6 × 0·8–2 mm., lanceolate, lanceolate-triangular or rarely ovate-oblong, often acuminate, pilose (sometimes glabrescent) or glabrous. Posterior sepal c. 7·5 × 2·5–3 mm., shallowly and obliquely navicular, abruptly constricted into the spur, distally acute or subcaudate, sparsely (rarely ± densely) pilose, glabrescent or glabrous, longitudinally striped (always?); spur very variable in length, 14–32 mm. long, slender, usually sharply incurved in the upper third, slightly incurved or nearly straight in the lower part, with the end bluntish or slightly thickened, usually glabrous, rarely pilose but then soon glabrescent. Anterior petal 6–10 mm. high, 8–13 mm. broad (when flattened), dorsally cristate with the crest terminating in an acute point, somewhat pilose or glabrous. Lateral united petals (10) 13–18 mm. long, deeply 2-lobed, usually glabrous, rarely shortly and sparsely hispid outside; lobes usually distinctly separated by a sinus, rarely overlapping; anterior lobe 8–13 × 4–7 mm., transversely oblique-elliptic, entire, the lower margin straight or slightly concave; posterior lobe a little smaller than the anterior one, obovate-oblong or obliquely elliptic, distally rounded, entire (see t. 26 fig. 15). Ovary glabrous. Capsule 0·8–1·6 cm. long, fusiform, glabrous. Seeds numerous, c. 2·25 × 1·5 mm., obovate in outline, light or reddish-brown, densely covered with very short thick conical multicellular hairs.