SAOOD OMER

Annual, 1.2-3.5 cm high, unbranched-branched, green herb. Stem branched from base, sometimes branching from axils of leaves, terminating into a flower, puberulent. Leaves basal as well as cauline, basal leaves 0.3-03 x 0.15-0.2 cm, ovate, with cartilagnous margin, dentate, aristate-apiculate, carinate, indistinctly 3-nerved, cauline leaves imbricate, 0.3-03 x 0.15-0.2 cm, ovate-spathulate, connate at base to opposing leaves, margin cartilaglinous, subentire-dentate, at base, cuspidate, carinate. Flowers solitary, 0.7-0.9 cm long, infunduliform, erect, sessile. Calyx 03-0.65 cm long, tube longer than lobes, 0.2-0.35 (-0.4) cm long, winged, or carinate, lobes 0.175-0.25 x 0.05-0.075 cm, lanceolate, with hyaline margin, entire, long acuminate, carinate with dark brown spot at the base of each lobe, sinuses between lobes obtuse. Intracalycine membi ane present. Corolla 0.6-0.9 cm long blue with light blue neck and throat, tube longer than lobes, 0.4-0.7 cm long, lobes 0.1-0.2 x 0.075-0.1 cm, dark blue in middle, obovate-ovate, entire, apiculate, plicae 0.075-0.1 x 0.05-0.075 cm, oblanceolate, bilobed or not, entire-wavy, light coloured. Stamens 5, inserted and reaching the middle of the corolla tube, filaments filiform, winged at the base, free to less than 1/3 the length, anthers basifixed, apiculate, ovate. Ovary 0.2-0.4 x 0.05-0.1 cm, lanceolate, style not long, stigma bilobed, papillose, nectaries at the base of ovary.

Type: Baltistan, Satpara lake, circa 3.0 cm high, blue flowers with light blue neck and throat, 24.5.1983, S. Omer, S. Nazimuddin and A.Wahid 1018 (KUH).

Distribution: Baltistan, Sikkim.

Closely related to Ciminalis psedoaquatica (Kusn.) Zuyev on the basis of being pubescent, similar type of leaves, calycine lobes and corolla, but could easily be distinguished by apiculate anthers, pubescence being simple rather than glandular and dark brown spots at the base of each calyx lobe.