Henckelia bracteata - Bracted Stone Flower

Bracted Stone Flower is a newly discovered plant which is quite similar to Long-Scape Stone Flower in the shape of its leaves, and in having flowering stems much longer than the leaves. However, it can be distinguished by its flower-cymes having a larger number of flowers (14-38), its large elliptic to obovate bracts, ovate sepals, and the presence of eglandular hairs at the junction of the anther lobes and filaments. It is a perennial stemless herb, with rootstocks. Leaves are 8-14, basal; leaf-stalk 2-9 cm long, velvet-hairy, winged, wings 2-3 mm wide; leaf blade elliptic-ovate, 5.5-12.5 x 3-9 cm, thick, surfaces usually wrinkled, both surfaces velvet-hairy, but more so on younger leaves. Flowers are zygomorphic, 10-20 x 4-9 mm. Calyx 5(or 6)-partite, very deeply divided or basally fused; sepals reddish brown, ovate, 3-4 x 1-2 mm, unequal, white woolly, margin entire, tip slightly pointed. Flowers are bell-shaped, 5-lobed, hairy out- side, hairless inside; tube lilac to pale lilac with a yellow patch in throat, 7-9 x 5.5-7.5 mm; petals pale lilac to lilac, 5.2-7 x 7.4-8.3 mm, unequal, tip ovate to rounded. Bracts are 2 at each branching point, elliptic to obovate, 10-21 x 5-8 mm, woolly, margin rounded toothed, tip obtuse to rounded. Bracted Stone Flower is endemic to the S Western Ghats, currently known only from Kurisumala in Kottayam district of Kerala.