Nelsonia canescens
Content
Description
Creeping or decumbent herb, to 70 cm long and 10-30 cm tall; often rooting at node. Stem slender, prostrate or ascending, younger stem moderately pubescent, older stem glabrate. Petiole 2-10 mm long, moderately pubescent; blade ovate, 4-7 x 2-3.5 cm, acute at apex, attenuate and decurrent on petiole at base, glabrous or nearly so and glandular punctate on upper surface, sparsely to moderately pubescent and glandular punctate on lower surface, margin entire or undulate; leaves subtending inflorescence reduced and intergrading with bracts, 8-22 x 4-12 mm, more densely pubescent than cauline leaves. Inflorescence terminating main and lateral branches, spikes quadrangular, 2.5-5 cm long, solitary or arranged in terminal fascicles of 1-3 spikes, central spike sessile or pedunculate, lateral spikes with peduncles of 20-25(-50) mm long, rachis densely sericeous; bracts ovate, 4-6 x 2-4 mm, imbricate, apically acute, margin entire, abaxial surface pubescent with long, filiform trichomes mixed with shorter glandular ones. Flowers subsessile; calyx usually with dense, long, fine, eglandular trichomes at base, posterior lobe ovate, 3-3.6 x 1.2-1.5 mm, 5-8-veined, lateral lobes lanceolate, 3-4 x 0.5-0.8 mm, 1-3-veined, anterior lobe lanceolate, usually apically notched, rarely entire or twice notched, 2.5-3.6 x 0.5-1.3 mm, ca. 8-veined; corolla white, 7 mm long, glabrous or minutely puberulous, tube 3-5 mm long, limb ca. 2 mm wide, upper lobes, slightly shorter than lower ones; filaments 0.3-0.5 mm long, anther thecae parallel in bud, divergent in flower, 0.4 mm long, apically with a small, hook-like mucro; ovary 0.9-1 mm long, style ca. 0.8 mm long, glabrous. Capsule 4-4.8 x 1.5 mm, glabrous, seeds usually ca. 28.
Distribution
Andes present, French Guiana present, NE Brazil present, Northern America, Southern America: Bolivia (Bolivia present)
Mexico southward through the Andes to Bolivia, eastward to French Guiana and NE Brazil; 10 collections studied, 3 from French Guiana: Lemée s.n. (anno 1901); Sagot 1313; Mahury, Sagot s.n. (anno 1858).