A New Species of Striga (Scrophulariaceae) from Ethiopia

Abstract

An erect herb c. 45 cm high, drying brown, densely covered with small hispid hairs. Stem with few erect branches. Internodes 2-3 cm long. Leaves sessile, alternate, the lower up to 3 cm long, the upper ones 1 -5-2 cm long, pinnatifid with linear segments, hispid. Flowers axillary, solitary, alternate. Lower bracts leaf-like, the upper linear to subulate, 5 mm long, shortly and finely hispid. Calyx tubular, 10 15 mm long, hispid, 5-lobed with 10 prominent ribs. Style 16 mm long, slightly expanded at the apex. Corolla 2-lipped, tube 20 mm long, with a bend 5 mm below the limb, lower lobes entire, c. 6 mm long. Filaments of lower pair of stamens c. 07 mm long, those of the upper pair c. 1 -2 mm long; all 4 anthers similar, c. 0-8 mm long. Stigma linear, obtuse. Capsule oblong-ovoid, 10 mm long, 5 mm wide, acute. (Fig. 1).