Neanotis tubulosa - Tubeflower Starviolet

Tubeflower Starviolet is an erect annual herb, 8-30 cm, stems round at base, four-edged above, hairless. Flowers are borne in cymes in leaf-axils and at branch-ends. Flowers are pinwheel shaped, lavender-light purple, almost stalkless. Sepal-cup is 4 lobed; sepals triangular, ovate-oblong, 0.7-1.3 x 0.7 mm, hairless on both sides, fringed on margins. Flowers are 4 petaled, petals ovate, elliptic or triangular, 1.1-2.2 x 0.7-1.5 mm, hairy near tip; tube 3.2-4.5 mm long. Stamens protruding; filaments 0.4-0.8 mm long, anthers oblong, 0.5 mm long. Style 2-2.5 mm long; stigma 4-fid, 1.0-1.4 mm long. Leaves are simple, ovate or ovate-lanceshaped, 1-3.5 x 0.5-2 cm, membranous, pointed at tip, rounded or narrowed at base, entire along margins, upper surface sparsely velvet-hairy. Lateral nerves are 3-5 pairs; leaf-stalk 2-6 mm long. Tubeflower Starviolet is found in SW India, Sri Lanka, N. Thailand. Flowering: August-December.