About Keckiella breviflora (Lindl.) Straw
Keckiella breviflora is a branching, bushy shrub that grows many thin stems, reaching a maximum height close to two meters. Its shiny green leaves grow in opposite arrangements along the branches. Each leaf measures 1 to 4 centimeters long, is generally lance-shaped, and has finely serrated or smooth edges. This shrub produces tall inflorescences, which are loose, glandular flower spikes. Each individual flower is 1 to 2 centimeters wide, with five pale pink or white lobes streaked with pink. The outer surfaces of these lobes are covered in long, shiny hairs. The three lower lobes curl outward from the flower's mouth and underneath, while the two upper lobes are fused into a single lip that curves forward over the mouth. Inside the flower mouth, there are long stamen filaments that bear anthers, plus a flat, hairless, sterile stamen called a staminode.
