Dicliptera verticillata (Forssk.) C. Christensen

This species seems to be rare or undercollected from our area; it has also been collected by Woodrow from Sakhpur, Sind as cited by Cooke (l.c.) and Stewart (l.c.).

A much branched, suberect to procumbent, annual herb, twigs hairy on the angles. Leaves on 2-3 cm long petioles; lamina ovate or elliptic, 3.5-8 x 1.5-4 cm, glabrous or ± hairy, basally rounded to attenuate, entire, acuminate. Rowe pink, spotted with purple, c. 4.5 mm long, in dense axillary globose fascicle bracts unequal, enveloping the flowers, obovate-oblong, 6-7 mm long, scabrous on both sides, lower part of margins densely ciliate and scarious, upper half green, apex cuspidate; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 4-5 mm long, hairy. Calyx 5-lobed to near the base, lobes linear-subulate, 3-3.5 mm long, hairy, acute. Corolla pubescent externally, tube narrow, upper lip smaller than the lower. Capsule ellipsoid, c. 4 mm long, 4-seeded, hairy at the subacute tip. Seeds orbiculate, c. 1 mm across, tuberculate-echinulate.

Distribution: Tropical Africa, Pakistan (Sind) and India.

Fl. Per.: August-November.

Annual with opposite and decussate, widely spreading branches.

Common