Miraglossum

Perennial herbs with annual flowering shoots; sap milky. Stems erect, unbranched, with indumentum evenly distributed or rarely in vertical lines. Leaves irregularly inserted (or sometimes opposite) below inflorescence, verticillate (rarely irregular) in inflorescence, usually hairy, occasionally glabrous; petiole short; lamina linear to narrowly triangular; margin revolute. Flowers in fascicles at distal nodes of stem, terminal fascicle appearing umbellate in those species that have reduced upper leaves; inconspicuous; pedicels pilose; bracteoles filiform. Calyx shorter than corolla; segments triangular, usually with indumentum on ventral, as well as dorsal, surface; margin ciliate. Corolla: lobes elliptic, characteristically reflexed at anthesis (except in M. davyi); dorsal surface with variable indumentum, ventral surface always densely puberulous except for a glabrous band along left hand margin (seen from centre of flower); right hand margin ciliate. Corona arising from staminal column; lobes thick, fleshy, not dorsiventrally or laterally compressed, alternating with petals, each representing a dorsal outgrowth from opposing stamen. Anthers 2-locular, with apical, membranous, often strongly undulate appendage resting on style head; anther wings horny; wings of adjacent anthers closely opposed, forming a narrow gynostegial groove between them blocked at its upper end by a corpuscle. Pollinia pendulous, sausage-shaped, slightly dorsiventrally compressed, without a defined germination zone; caudicels flattened, ribbon-like; corpuscle often flanged. Follicles densely lanate-pubescent, covered with soft, appressed bristles or bristles 0. Seeds many, compressed-ovoid, dark brown, rugose and with apical tuft of hairs.