Herbs annual or biennial. Roots spinose. Stems sparingly branched, erect, brown or violet, 15--30 cm, long hairy proximally, nodose hairy and sparsely villous distally. Leaves opposite, sometimes in whorls of 3; petiole 2--4 mm; leaf blade narrowly elliptic, orbicular-lanceolate, or ovate-orbicular, rarely elliptic, 1--2.5 cm × 5--12 mm, both surfaces villous, base attenuate, apex obtuse. Cymes many flowered; bracts ovate, 5--10 mm, both surfaces villous, base broadened. Pedicel 0.5--2.5 cm, glandular pubescent. Sepals 5, lanceolate, 5--6 × ca. 2 mm, glandular pubescent abaxially, margin membranous, apex acute. Petals 5, white, obovate, ca. 1.5 × as long as sepals, apex irregularly toothed. Stamens 10; filaments slightly longer than sepals; anthers blue-green to yellow. Ovary ovoid; ovules few. Styles 2, linear. Capsule ovoid, slightly shorter than persistent sepals, apex 4-lobed. Seeds 3 or 4, black, flat, with curls. Fl. and fr. Aug--Sep.
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