Henckelia lallanii - Lallan's Stone Flower

Lallan's Stone Flower is a perennial erect herb, 50-100 cm tall. It is different from all other species of Henckelia by its reddish orange corolla and only 1-flowered cyme. The species is named after Mr. Lallan Singh, a great nature lover and father of one of the discoverers of the species. Flowers are borne singly in leaf-axils, on flower-cluster-stalks 1- 2.5 cm long, stout, flower-stalks 1.5-3.5 cm long. Sepal-cup is bell-shaped, fused up to 3/4 of its length, 1.8-2.6 cm long, light green, sparsely hairy outside, hairless inside, 5-lobed; tube 1.3-1.7 cm long; sepals unequal, 0.5-0.9 cm long, narrowly triangular-ovate, tip tapering, reflexed, margins entire. Flowers are funnel-shaped, 5-6.5 cm long, hairless on both sides, 2-lipped; tube 4.3-5.4 cm long, abruptly tapering towards base, slightly curved, reddish orange outside above the middle and pale white or creamy towards base, pale white or creamy inside with yellow flange from centre to the base of lower lips; upper lip 2-lobed, reddish orange on both sides; lobes equal, round, 0.6-1 x 1-1.4 cm, tip rounded, margins entire; lower lip 3-lobed, reddish orange on both sides; lobes broadly obovate, 0.7-1.1 x 0.9-1.3 cm, tip blunt-rounded, margins entire. Stamens are 2, creamy, inserted 1.7-2 cm above from the flower base, hairless; filaments 1-1.2 cm long, staminodes 2. Pistil is 3.5-4 cm long. Bracts are 2, free, leafl-like, opposite, narrowly ovate-lanceshaped, 1-2.5 x 0.3-0.8 cm, tip pointed, dark green above, pale green below, entire or with 2-4 teeth confined to the tip. Stem is round, unbranched, green, hairless, rooting from the base; internodes 7-18 cm long. Leaves are in opposite perpendicular pairs, elliptic-ovate, 3-7.5 x 2-4 cm, tip pointed, base blunt-rounded or broadly wedge-shaped or slightly oblique, margins rounded toothed to toothed, above sparsely or densely hairy or becoming hairless; lateral veins 7-11 pairs. Leaf-stalks are 1-4 cm long. Capsules linear, 12-16.5 cm long, pale green, without persistent disc and sepal-cup, hairless. Lallan's Stone Flower is known only from Arunachal Pradesh. Flowering: July-August.