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Leaves subsessile, (1)2.5–8 x 0.2–2.5(3) cm., elliptic, oblong-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, acute at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrescent to pubescent or scabrid on both surfaces but always some hairs on the margins; petiole less than 1 mm. long; aborted leafy shoots are present in most axils; stipule sheath triangular, 1–9 mm. long, bearing (0)3–15 linear fimbriae 3–10 mm. long or sometimes produced as a practically unfimbriated triangular lobe.
Flowers typically not heterostylous with anthers and stigmas touching in bud, (3)4(5)-merous, in dense subglobose inflorescences 1–3(3.5 in fruit) cm. in diam., sessile, supported by a pair of leaves, terminal and also terminating slender axillary branches from the upper part of the stems; pedicels 0.2–3 mm. long.
Corolla very variable in colour, white, cream, pale yellow, blue, lilac, pink, purple or mauve, the lobes sometimes coloured at least outside and tube whitish, glabrous, puberulous or minutely papillate; tube (1.6)3–4 mm. long; lobes 1.7–4.1 x 1–1.5 mm., triangular.
Rather strictly erect herb 0.1-1.2 m. tall, with (1) several usually sparsely branched stems from a woody rootstock; branches densely pubescent with short spreading hairs; whole plant often drying the peculiar yellow-green of an aluminium accumulator.
Style white to yellow, 3.7–6.5 mm. long, exserted; stigma lobes 0.4–0.7 mm. long. In heterostylous flowers of intermediates style 1.4 mm. long in short-styled flowers and 2.6–4 mm. in long-styled flowers.
Calyx tube 1–2.1 mm. long, glabrous or pubescent; limb tube 0.4–1.8 mm. long; lobes (2.5)3.3–7(9) mm. long, linear-lanceolate, shortly ciliate on margins and usually costa or densely pubescent.
Capsule 1.5–3 mm. tall and wide, compressed-ellipsoid, grooved between the loculi, the beak c. 1 mm. long, crowned by the persistent calyx lobes, glabrous or pubescent.
Disk mostly minutely papillate but sometimes with short hairs as well.
Seeds dark purplish brown, 0.6 x 0.5 mm., ovoid-trigonous, reticulate.
Anthers exserted, often dark.
