Lobelia mcvaughii

Ayers, T.J. 1987. Brittonia 39: 421.

Perennial soboliferous herbs 3-8 (12) cm tall. Stems decumbent, usually simple aboveground, pilose below, glabrate above, purple. Leaves cauline; petiole 5-15 mm long, much reduced above, purple, pilose; blade ovate to broadly lanceolate, 15-20 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, truncate to cordate at base, acute or rounded at tip, the margins appearing entire in lowest leaves, but becoming shallowly to deeply dentate in the upper ones, often ciliate, pilose on both surfaces, trichomes white, appressed, mainly associated with veins on abaxial surface, green above, purple beneath or purple throughout. Inflorescence of bracteate racemes; bracts foliaceous, lanceolate, 6-9 (15) mm long, 2-6 mm wide, sharply dentate; pedicels 2-3 (4.5) cm long, the lowest much elongated, elevating their flowers to the level of terminal ones, glabrous; bracteoles absent. Flowers 0.7-1 cm long (including hypanthium); hypanthium asymmetrical, upper side 3-4 mm long, lower side extending with corolla tissue into spur; spur conical-cylindrical, 3-4 mm long (measured from the base of the upper calyx lobes); calyx lobes subulate, 3-4 (5) mm long, green, often purple-tipped the two lower ones slightly shorter, positioned at base of spur, which is even with base of ovary; corolla pink to pinkish-purple, veins more deeply pigmented, the tube 5-5.5 (6.5) mm long, slit dorsally to base, the upper lobes spatulate, 5-7 mm long, 0.5-1 mm wide, erect, slightly spreading, the lower lobes broadly obovate, 5-7 (9) mm long, 3-3.5 (6) mm wide, apiculate at tip, with 2 broad green triangular patches opposed to sinuses at throat; stamens 6-7 mm long, the filaments pink above, white below, connate in the distal half, the anthers ca 2 mm long, blue, pubescent in lines on sutures, the 2 shorter anthers with subulate trichomes at tip. Fruit 4-6 mm long, 3 mm wide. Seeds ellipsoid, dark brown, ca 0.5 mm long, testa sculpturing sulcate, appearing faintly lined to the naked eye.