Celosia nervosa C.C.Towns.

Amaranthaceae, C. C. Townsend. Flora Zambesiaca 9:1. 1988

Habit

Herb, probably perennial, habit and size unknown, perhaps trailing or scrambling.

Stem

Stem and branches long and slender, terete, finely striate, more or less densely furnished with multicellular hairs.

Leaves

Leaves deltoid-lanceolate or feebly and obtusely hastate with low lateral lobes near the base, lamina to 4.5 × 1.5 cm., glabrous above, moderately pilose on the lower surface of the nerves, with a more or less densely pilose petiole up to 1.5 cm. long; superior leaves narrower and more shortly petiolate.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence white, terminal and axillary (that terminal on the main stem sometimes with one or more branches), spiciform, to c. 28 × 1.4 cm.; partial inflorescence compact, fasciculiform, up to c. 1.2 cm. in diam.

Bracts

Bracts and bracteoles deltoid, acute, membranous, stramineous when dry, 1.5–2 mm., shortly mucronate with the excurrent brownish midrib, glabrous or with slender multicellular hairs below.

Tepal

Tepals 2.75–3 m. long, oblong, acute, glabrous, white, stramineous when dry, the midrib excurrent in a short mucro and subtended on each side by two pairs of lateral nerves - one pair long and reaching almost to the apex of the tepals, the outer pair shorter.

Filaments

Filaments with the free apices only c. half the length of the basal cup; no intermediate teeth present.

Pistil

Ovary 5–7-ovulate; stigmas 2–3, equalling or exceeding the very short style.

Fruits

Capsule shortly ovoid, c. 2 mm., not exceeding the perianth.

Seeds

Seeds lenticular, black, shiny, c. 1.2 mm. in diam., densely sulcate-punctate.