Annual ± erect herb, 10–50 cm. tall. Stem ± hirsute or rarely glabrous. Leaves alternate, sessile, basal ones ± ovate, caducous; stem leaves 5–30(–50) x 1–5(9) mm., linear to elliptic, acute to subacute with attenuate to truncate base,:±: hirsute or glabrous; margin incrassate, usually flat or slightly undulate, ± denticulate; midvein prominent beneath, lateral veins ± obscure. Inflorescence lax; pedicels (1)3–30 mm. long, glabrous or rarely hirsute. Hypanthium obconical or obovoid to hemispherical, 5–10–nerved, glabrous or ± hirsute. Calyx–lobes 0·5–2·5 mm. long, entire or sparsely denticulate, glabrous or ± hairy. Corolla 1·2–5 mm. long, white to blue or yellowish, split almost to the base into linear lobes, glabrous or hirsute outside. Filament–bases ± dilated, ciliate; anthers 0·3–1·6 mm. long, rounded to elongated. Ovary 2–locular, semi–inferior; style c. as long as or somewhat shorter than the corolla, eglandular, glabrous or hairy below, slightly thickened to subcapitate in the upper part; lobes 2, very short to distinct. Capsule 2–locular, 5–10–nerved; valves 2, 0·5–1·2 mm. long. Seeds 0·4–0·6 mm. long, elliptic in outline with acute ends, trigonous; testa almost smooth.W. ramosissima is an aggregate of small, annual, probably autogamous forms with trigonous seeds and 2–merous gynoecia, very well represented in the F.Z. area. Most of these forms have rather narrow, often mutually exclusive ranges, but there are also forms with partly overlapping areas of distribution. I have chosen to classify the morphologically ± well recognizable forms within the complex as subspecies, but as the material of many forms is very limited the classification is rather preliminary.
Holotype of Wahlenbergia ramosissima (Hemsl.) Thulin subsp. zambiensis Thulin [family CAMPANULACEAE]
Isotype of Wahlenbergia ramosissima (Hemsl.) Thulin subsp. richardsiae Thulin [family CAMPANULACEAE]
