Bouchetia erecta DC., erect bouchetia. Perennial herb, from slender perennial root, not rosetted, several—many–stemmed at base, principal branches spreading to ascending, in range to 20 cm tall; shoots with ascending leaves, uniformly short–hairy, with appressed to upward–curved hairs to 0.4 mm long and having scattered minute glandular hairs with colorless heads
Stems cylindric, to 2 mm diameter, wiry.
Leaves helically alternate, simple, petiolate (lower leaves) and short–petiolate to subsessile (upper cauline leaves), without stipules; petiole of lower leaves channeled and to 10 mm long and cylindric when < 0.5 mm long and indistinct from blade; blade narrowly elliptic to narrowly oblong or narrowly lanceolate to ovate (lower leaves), 8—25 × 2—9 mm, tapered at base, entire, blunt–acute at tip, pinnately veined with only midrib conspicuous and raised on lower surface
Inflorescence flower solitary at fork of diverging branches scattered throughout the canopy, lacking bracts, stiff short–hairy; pedicel cylindric, at anthesis to 10 mm long, densely short–hairy.
Flower bisexual, radial, 7—13 mm across; in bud corolla with deep vertical dimples above calyx lobes; calyx 5–lobed, funnel–shaped, ca. 9—10 mm long increasing in fruit, green; tube at anthesis narrowly fusiform, ca. 6.5 × 4 mm, 10–veined and low 10–ridged, arched short–strigose; lobes subequal (1 narrower), ascending, oblong to oblanceolate, 3.8—4.2 × 0.5 mm, raised midvein not extended to tip; corolla 5–lobed, funnel–shaped, 12—14.5 mm long, white or blushed pink–purple (purplish rose and pleated in bud); tube glossy white, 4–sided; throat with ca. 15 veins (3 raised veins into each lobe), outer surface with scattered short hairs exposed in bud; lobes rounded, ca. 1.5 mm long; stamens 5, fused to and decurrent from corolla base; filaments 3.5—6 mm long, 2 shorter, channeled below midpoint; anthers dorsifixed, dithecal, 0.5—0.7 mm, light yellow, longitudinally dehiscent; pollen light yellow; nectary disc surrounding base of ovary, ± 1.2 mm diameter, orangish, with thin cover over the lower portion; pistil 1, ± mm long; ovary superior, ovoid, ca. 3 × 1.4 mm, green with fine purplish streaks, 2–chambered, each chamber with many ovules attached to center; style ca. 6.5, axis 0.35 mm diameter, pale green, glabrous, flared to broad concave stigma, stigma at level of corolla orifice and slightly above level of anthers, saddle–shaped, ca. 1.3 mm across, wet, light green to yellowish.
Fruit capsule, 4–valved, many–seeded, 5.5—6 mm long, brown, valves erect, triangular–ovate, ca. 3.5 × 2 mm; calyx mostly hiding capsule, tube tight–fitting, with arching short hairs, lobes ascending, 4—5 mm long, >> valves.
Seed somewhat heart–shaped, in that orientation ca. 1 × 0.7 mm, brown to reddish brown, pitted with fine network (reticulate) of raised walls.
A. C. Gibson