Compilation
Celosia digyna

Annual herb, erect, simple or branching from near the base upwards, (8) 30–120 (180) cm. Stem and branches green to reddish, sulcate or striate, glabrous or with short, few-celled hairs especially about the nodes. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to broadly ovate, occasionally (mostly in S. Africa) with a broad, obtuse lateral lobe on each side near the base, acute to acuminate, glabrous or with short, few-celled hairs on the inferior surface about the base; lamina of main stem leaves (1) 2–8.5 (10) × (0.4) 1–4 (5) cm., subcordate to truncate or attenuate below, the lower margins often scabrid, more or less decurrent along the slender, up to more or less 5 cm. long petiole; superior and branch leaves smaller and often narrower, more shortly petiolate; all leaves often fallen by the fruiting stage. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, simple or branched spike-like thyrses more or less 6.5–35 cm. long, formed of distant or (at least above) approximate, few-to many-flowered lax or congested and subglobose, white or pinkish clusters 2–20 (30) mm. in diam., in well-grown individuals the superior leaves much reduced so that a terminal panicle is formed; inflorescence axis glabrous or furnished with multicellular hairs. Bracts and bracteoles ovate to ovate-elliptic, c. 1.25–2 mm. long, scarious with a darker nerve, margins minutely (or more coarsely at the base) erose-denticulate, glabrous. Tepals ovate-elliptic, 1.75–2.75 mm. long, shortly mucronate with excurrent midrib, glabrous, scarious with a narrow less translucent band along the midrib, margins minutely denticulate at least above. Free portion of filaments subequalling the sheath, sinuses rounded with no intermediate teeth; anthers reddish. Stigmas 2–3, longer than the very short style; ovary 6–8-ovulate. Capsule ovoid, 1.75–2.25 mm. long, included or a little exserted, rounded and not thickened at the apex. Seeds c. 0.75 mm. in diam., compressed, black, shining, with a rather fine reticulate pattern, the areolae only slightly convex.