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Polycarpaea corymbosa (L.) Lam. var. aurea (Wight & Arn.) Wight

Synonym	:	Polycarpaea aurea Wight & Arn.
Family	:	Caryophyllaceae
Flowering and fruiting period	:	September-February
Distribution	:	South India
Distribution in Kerala	:	Kottayam, Kasaragode, Malappuram, Kozhikkode
Habitat	:	Rocky areas in scrub jungles
Endemic/Exotic	:	Endemic to Peninsular India
Key botanical characters: Annual erect herbs, to 30 cm high, sometimes shorter, much branched and suffruticose; branches terete; internodes long, densely white pubescent turning grey-pubescent or glabrescent when old. Leaves opposite, rarely pseudoverticillate due to presence of a few secondary leaves in axils, sessile, linear, obtuse at base, entire at margin, mucronate at apex, 10-50 x 1-2 mm, glabrous; surface wrinkled and margin recurved on drying; stipules scarious, lanceolate, entire, acuminate, ca 3 mm long, nerveless, colourless or yellowish brown. Inflorescences irregular lax cymes. Flowers ca 3 mm long; bracteoles ovate-lanceolate, entire, acute, 1-1.2 x ca 1 mm, grey with a faint brownish tinge; pedicels ca 1 mm long, pubescent. Sepals 5, free, ovate-lanceolate, entire, acute, ca 2 x 0.8 mm, exceeding petals and capsules, scarious, reddish brown. Petals 5, free, oblong-obovate, obtuse, ca 1.2 x 0.5 mm, partly enclosing capsule, shining, brown. Stamens 5, forming a cup of ca 0.2 mm high at base with petals and encircling ovary. Ovary 1-loculed, free from base, conic, obtuse, ca 0.6 x 0.4 mm, style slender, ca 0.4 mm long, 3-fid. Capsules ovoid-elliptic, ca 1.2x 1 mm, small-stiped, 3-valved; tips faintly incurved when young, recurved after dehiscence; seeds 3-5, reniform, ca 0.5 x 0.3 mm, purplish brown with radiating lines at attachment and a groove.