Lobelia glaberrima

Detailed description

Creeping, prostrate, glabrous herb; rooting at leaf nodes. Leaves alternate, upright to spreading; lamina 2.5–7.0 × 2.5–8.5 mm, orbicular to broadly orbicular, glabrous or rarely sparsely hairy on margin, green, often flushed red on margin and abaxial surface; margin serrate, a prominent terminal tooth, 5–7 lateral teeth, teeth up to 1.2 mm long, triangular, apex subacute to obtuse, sinus broadly obtuse; petiole 0.5–2.0 × 0.6–0.8 mm, green, often flushed red. Flowers hermaphrodite, axillary, solitary; scent pungent. Peduncle 2.0–4.0 mm long. Calyx with short tube adnate to ovary; lobes 5, 1.4–3.9 × 0.6–1.2 mm, green, narrow triangular to lanceolate; apex subacute. Corolla up to 10.5 mm long in late bud, 6.0–12.0 mm diameter when open, white; tube 3.2–6.0 mm long, 1.9–2.4 mm wide, split to near base; lobes 5, ovate to lanceolate, apex acute to subacute, front three lobes 2.3–4.5 × 1.7–1.9 mm, back two lobes 3.2–4.2 × 1.2–2.7 mm. Nectary 0.5–0.7 mm high, green, glabrous to occasionally sparsely hairy. Ovary 1.8–2.9 × 2.4–2.6 mm, green. Style 5.0–6.9 × 0.5 mm, white, flushed pink. Stigma bilobed, pink, 0.4–0.6 mm diameter Filaments 2.3–4.2 × 0.2–0.4 mm, glabrous or rarely sparsely hairy in lower part, fused below anthers, attached to corolla tube in lower quarter, white, often flushed green. Anthers united into a tube around style, 1.3–2.2 mm long, purple black, curved over at top. Capsule 3.2–6.0 × 3.1–5.3 mm, globose, thin walled, seeds visible through wall, disintegrating with age; apex crowned with persistent style base; base obtuse. Seed elliptic-oblong to broadly elliptic, sometimes slightly compressed, 0.5–0.6 × 0.4–0.5 mm; apex and base obtuse or rounded; margins rounded; testa orange-brown to red-brown, semi-glossy, glabrous, finely reticulate, cells elongate.