Low shrubs, deciduous, 1-3(-6) m tall; branches angled to terete, puberulent to tomentulose or glabrescent, sometimes lenticellate, with bark usually reddish brown. Leaves distichous, subsessile to shortly petiolate; petiole to 2 mm; blade drying papery, lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate-elliptic, or ovate-oblong, 2.5-4 × 0.8-1.2 cm, adaxially puberulent to glabrous, abaxially glabrescent to puberulent or sparsely pilosulous at least along veins, base obtuse to rounded, apex acute or acuminate; secondary veins 5-7 pairs, with pilosulous domatia; stipules persistent to deciduous, ligulate to ovate in outline, 2-5 mm, puberulent to glabrous, deeply bilobed, lobes narrowly triangular, acute to acuminate, erect to reflexed. Inflorescences densely puberulent or strigillose to glabrescent; peduncles 1-5 cm, with bracts 2-4 mm; flowering heads borne separately on axillary or sometimes apically paired peduncles, 4-7 mm in diam. across calyces, 10-12 mm in diam. across corollas; bracteoles linear or linear-clavate, 1-2 mm. Calyx puberulent to glabrescent; ovary portion obconic, 0.8-1 mm; limb deeply lobed, lobes spatulate or spatulate-clavate, 1-2 mm, at apex thickened, rounded, papillose. Corolla white or flushed with pink or purple on lobes, slenderly funnelform, outside glabrescent, puberulent, or hirtellous with trichomes often purple-red; tube 2-3 mm; lobes deltoid to ligulate, 0.5-1 mm, acute to obtuse. Stigma obovoid, 0.2-0.3 mm, exserted for 3-4 mm. Fruiting heads 8-12 mm in diam. Capsules oblong-obcuneate, 3-4 mm, puberulent, hirtellous, or glabrescent; seeds ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May-Dec.
Edges of streams, ditches and ponds. Wet sites at streamsides, riversides, and sand beaches; at elevations from 100-600 metres.
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