Botanical name: Lepidagathis gandhii    Family: Acanthaceae (Acanthus family)

Yellowish Scaly-Ball, discovered in 2023, is a perennial undershrub up to 60 cm tall, named after Kanchi N. Gandhi. It has erect, well-branched, 4-angled stems, ash-colored when old and green to purplish when young. Leaves are stalkless, opposite, oblong to inverted-lance-shaped, 15–30 × 4–8 mm, with wavy, finely ciliolate margins and a spiny tip; lateral veins number 3–5 pairs. Flowers are arranged in compact, ovoid spikes 8–15 mm long, each bearing up to 9 flowers. The 5-lobed sepal-cup is heteromorphic with spiny tips; anticous lobes (2) are 4.2–6.3 mm long, while other lobes vary from 6.8–11.2 mm. Flowers are two-lipped, 1.2–1.6 cm long, white turning yellowish, with purplish-brown markings and yellow patches inside. The tube is 8.8–10.5 mm long, expanding above. The upper lip is 1.8–3.6 × 4–4.7 mm, while the lower lip is 4.5–6.2 mm long with a broader central lobe. Native to Tamil Nadu.

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The flower labeled Yellowish Scaly-Ball is ...