Perennial herb or subshrub 40-150 cm tall; stems glabrous or minutely puberulous on two opposite sides, uppermost internodes sometimes strigulose; woody stems with sandy-coloured bark. Axillary spines small, 4 (6)-rayed, stalk 0.3-1.5 mm long, longest ray 1.5-7.5 mm long, rarely absent. Leaves elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 3.2-10 x 1.6-4.2 cm, base attenuate, apex acute, obtuse or shortly attenuate, mucronulate, margin, midrib and veins strigose beneath, glabrescent; petiole to 18 mm. Inflorescence a terminal spike 2.5-8 (22) cm long, contracted or lower cymules more widely spaced, each cymule 1-or 3-flowered, sessile; bracts ± spreading, lowermost pairs foliaceous, soon reducing upwards where oblanceolate, 8.5-26 x 1.5-7 mm, apex attenuate, mucronate, veins and margin strigose; bracteoles white-green, lanceolate-spinose, 6-12.5 x 0.9-1.5 mm. Outer calyx lobes subequal, ovate, anterior lobe (7.5)10.5-16 x 4-8 mm, posterior lobe (9.5)12-17.5 mm long, margin often involute, apex attenuate into apical spine, anterior lobe sometimes notched, surface with numerous ascending or appressed hairs, usually with minute spreading hairs with a few short glandular hairs towards apex, venation parallel, prominent only in fruit; lateral lobes (8) 11.5-15 mm long. Corolla 29-39 mm long, (pale)yellow, orange or brick red, pilose externally; tube 11-14 mm long; limb in 4+1 arrangement; abaxial lobe 11.5-18 x 5-7 mm, offset by 5.5-8 mm; lateral lobes 10-17 x 5.5-8 mm; adaxial lobes as laterals but 4.5-7 mm wide. Stamens with filaments 15.5-29 mm long, sparsely pubescent towards base; anthers 2-3.3 mm; lateral staminodes 0.7-1.7 mm, pubescent, antherodes 0.7-1 mm. Ovary minutely hairy or glabrous; style glabrous; stigma linear, c.0.7 mm long. Capsule 15-18 mm long, densely puberulous. Seeds c.7.5 x 5 mm.
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