Dyschoriste linearis (Torrey & A. Gray) Kuntze, narrow–leaf snakeherb. Perennial herb, rhizomatous, several—many–stemmed at base, not rosetted, principal shoots with ascending branches, in range 10—20 cm tall; shoots with dark green cauline leaves. (Torrey & A. Gray) Kuntze, narrow–leaf snakeherb. Perennial herb, rhizomatous, several—many–stemmed at base, not rosetted, principal shoots with ascending branches, in range 10—20 cm tall; shoots with dark green cauline leaves.
Stems 4–sided aging with 8 low ridges alternating with shallow furrows, 2 ridges per face, to 2 mm diameter, puberulent, with minute glandular hairs in furrows.
Leaves opposite decussate, simple, sessile and subsessile with pair having ledges across node, without stipules; petiole hemicylindric, < 1 mm long; blade oblanceolate to linear–oblanceolate (obovate), 4—26 × 2—7 mm, long–tapered at base, entire and puberulent–ciliate on margins, acute to obtuse at tip, pinnately veined with midrib raised on upper surface and principal veins somewhat raised on lower surface, surface with whitish, linear inclusions of blade visible (0.1—0.2 mm long).
Inflorescence solitary on short axillary shoot with a pair of new vegetative shoots arising at base of flower.
Flower bisexual, bilateral, 13—15 mm across, ca. 25 mm long; calyx 5–lobed, 15—16 mm long, green; tube 5–pleated, membranous in folds, ± 6 × 2 mm; lobes subequal, keeled and long–tapered to fine tip, 1 lobe to 1 mm longer, ± short–ciliate on margins; corolla 2–lipped, 5–lobed, ca. 25 mm long; tube ± ridged, 8—9 × 1.5—2 mm, whitish; throat bell–shaped, ca. 6 mm wide at sinuses, throat and lobes light purple, floor of throat and lower lip with raised, deep purple blotches defined by light veins; upper lip 2–lobed, lobes ± fan–shaped and overlapping, ca. 5.5 × 5.5 mm; lower lip 3–lobed, lateral lobes ± fan–shaped, 7 × 5—5.5 mm, central lobe ca. 7.5 × 6 mm, lower surface with short hairs; stamens 4, with 2 white decurrent rides on upper side of corolla to midthroat and unequally forked at top, free portion curved like corolla, free portion 6—7 mm long, outer pair > central pair, pale purple, short–pilose especially outer pair; anthers dorsifixed, dithecal, 1.7—1.8 mm long (including appendage), light to pale purple, appendage at base of each sac 0.15—0.3 mm long, longitudinally and inwardly (downward) dehiscent; pollen whitish; nectary disc beneath base of ovary, 0.35—0.4 mm long, light green; pistil 1; ovary superior, oblong, ca. 2 × 0.8 mm, 2–chambered, each chamber with 2 ovules; style exserted, straight with terminal portion slightly curved, 18—20 mm long, white, with scattered short hairs; stigma several mm above level of anthers.
Fruit capsule, mostly hidden within stretched calyx tube, 2–valved but difficult to split, 2—4–seeded, ± ellipsoid slightly wider at base to oblanceoloid, 10—12 × 2.5 × 2.5 mm, brown, glabrous; calyx tube 6—7 mm long.
Seed inverted heart–shaped and flat, 2.5—3 × 2.2—2.4 mm, brown, covered with coarse hairs; hilum broad from a projecting funiculus in seed chamber.
A. C. Gibson