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Corolla bright scarlet or red to pink; tube yellowish especially towards the base, 5–6·9(8·2) times as long as the calyx, 4–6·6 x 0·9–1·4 cm., pubescent outside, only at the extreme base nearly glabrous, puberulous inside, somewhat velutinous on the main veins; narrow basal portion (1)1·5–2 times as long as the calyx, (0·8)1·2–1·7 x 0·3–0·5 cm.; lobes bright scarlet to red, obovate, 1·4–2·8 x 0·8–1·8 cm., apiculate and undulate, sparsely and minutely pubescent outside, puberulous inside, with a puberulous scale at the base, 3 x 1·5 cm.
Small succulent shrub, 120-400 mm tall. Leaves linear-lanceolate to linear-oblong, pubescent, 5-12 mm broad. Flowers appearing with leaves. Upper, wide part of corolla ± pubescent within. Terminal anther appendages reaching to corolla mouth. Flowers pale pink to red, more intense towards margin.
Leaves sessile; lamina linear to very narrowly obovate, 8·8–16·7(21·2) times as long as wide, 4·5–14·6 x 0·3–1·4 cm., acute and apiculate, above shiny, glaucous or pale green, and pubescent to glabrous, beneath dull, slightly paler green and pubescent.
Stamens barely included or slightly exserted, free portion of filament hispid outside, pilose to lanate inside; anther 5·5–6(8) x 1–1·5 mm., hispid outside, cells 2–3·5 x 1 mm.; appendages 2·5–3·1 times as long as the anthers, hispid.
Pistil 13·5–21·5 mm. long; ovary glabrous or sometimes with appressed stiff hairs or puberulous; carpels 1–2 x 1–1·5 x 1–2 mm.; style 11·5–19 x 0·5 mm.; clavuncula 1·5–2 x 1–1·5 mm.
Succulent shrublet up to 40 cm. high, forming a dense mass of rather fleshy leaves and stems, with a subterraneous carrot-like very bitter-tasting rootstock 50–80 x 15–30 cm.
Sepals narrowly oblong to narrowly ovate, 6·5–9(12) x 3·0–4·0 mm., outside densely pubescent to pilose pubescent inside.
A shrub. It grows 12-40 cm tall. The lower stem is swollen and mostly underground and 10 cm across.
Seed very pale brown, pubescent, 1–1·5 x 0·2 cm., with tufts of dirty white hairs 2–3·5 cm.
Inflorescence 0·5–1 x 0·5–1 cm.; bracts narrowly oblong, 3–4 x 1–1·5 mm.
Pedicels densely pubescent to pilose, 5–8 mm. long.
Fruit pale grey to pale grey-brown, 10–11·5 x 1 cm.
