Heliotropium longiflorum  

Heliotropium longiflorum

Perennial, much-branched, erect herb with the young branches and the leaves covered with appressed, asymmetrically medifixed, short hairs some of which are milky-white and bulbous on the shorter end. Older branches rather woody, younger whitish-green, herbaceous. Leaves petiolate, the lower up to 10 x 1.5 cm; oblong-lanceolate, entire, usually obtuse. Inflorescence most often of long, paired spicate cymes up to c. 25 cm long; sometimes more than 2 spikes on a peduncle. Flowers rather small, c. 5 mm long, white. Calyx minute, c. 1 mm long, divided almost to the base. Corolla c. 5 mm long, the tube narrowed at the mouth and then again near the base giving the appearance of two inflated regions; green, pubescent on the outside; lobes rather shallow from a circular, spreading, white limb. Anthers c. 1.5 mm long, narrow tipped, inserted at the middle of corolla tube. Stigma conical, on a rather long, slender style and ending in //the lower 1/3 of the corolla-tube. Nutlets 4, c. 2 mm long; each nutlet bulged laterally and wider than a distinct, raised, muricate, dorsal band; green.

Saudi Arabia Southwestern region and Asir.

Distribution: East Africa, Arabia.

Remarks: The type for this species is from Jabal Sedder (Saudi Arabia), Schimper 842 (not seen). H. somalense Vatke, from E. Africa, is a very similar species with similar but thicker, corky nutlets