Litwinowia tenuissima (Pall.) Woronow ex Pavlov

Litwinowia species are annual herbs, not scapose, pubescent throughout with stalked trichomes. Rootstocks slender branched, taproot. Trichomes stalked, forked, submalpighiaceous, usually 2 rayed but mixed with simple and 3 rayed ones. Stem erect or suberect, ascending, simple or dichotomously branched, pubescent. Basal leaves simple, not in rosulate, usually withered by flowering, linear lanceolate to oblong, base cuneate, margin entire or sinuate dentate, apex acute to obtuse, petiolate, cauline leaves almost similar to basal but smaller towards the shoot, petiole subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence racemes, few to many flowered, lax, elongated in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, white, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, stout, thick, appressed in fruit, sepals 4, erect, oblong-ovate, lateral pair base saccate, apex obtuse, pubescent, petals 4, spathulate, slightly longer than the sepals, base cuneate, margin entire, apex emarginate, claw slightly differentiated, sub equaling the sepals. Stamens 6, slightly tetradynamous, filaments not dilated, anthers ovate, nectar glands 6, lateral semiannular, median glands minute, each facing the median filament. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, ovules 2 per ovary. Fruit silicles, indehiscent, ovoid, 2 seeded, longitudinally 4 veined, subterete, or slightly quadrangular, valves not prominent, thickened, veinless, septum complete, woodly or pubescent, style short, stigma capitate, bilobed, lobes non decurrent. Seeds aseriate, plump, brown, orbicular-ovoid, non winged, smooth, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Litwinowia species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: April—May.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Diffuse annual herbs, not scapose, about 8-40 cm long, pubescent throughout with unicellular stalked trichomes, about 1-1.5 mm long. Rootstocks long taproot. Trichomes stalked, forked, submalpighiaceous, usually with simple and forked ones. Stem erect, ascending, simple or dichotomously branched, near the base and middle, densely grey pubescent, with simple rigid and few stalked trichomes. Basal leaves simple, not in rosulate, linear lanceolate-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, about 20-90 x 5-20 mm across, base attentuate, margin entire, pinnatifid or sinuate dentate, apex subacute, petiolate, lower and middle cauline leaves almost similar to basal but smaller towards the shoot, base attenuate, margins entire or denticulate, apex subacute, petiole subsessile to sessile.

Litwinowia species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Roadsides, slopes and barren places, altitude 300-3500 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).