Wiry herb to 60 cm tall, mostly unbranched; stems terete or somewhat com-pressed, scabrous with stout acicular white hairs and finer shorter hairs, glabres-cent. Leaves linear, to 3 cm long, to ca. 2 mm wide but mostly narrower, 3-nerved on wider leaves, mostly seemingly 1-nerved, the nerves indurate callose, glabrous except ciliate near the base. Inflorescences elongate terminal spikes, only the apical 10-25 mm floriferous, the basal portion with scalelike bracts, the flowers congested, subtended by 2-3 ovate bracts slightly more than 1/2 as long as the calyx, the innermost bracts much smaller, glabrous except for the ciliate margins. Flowers lavender, the calyx narrowly funnelform, 7-10 mm long, many nerved, glabrous, the lobes equal, acuminate, ca. 2 mm long; corolla tube to ca. 10 mm long, glabrous outside, the lobes rotund, ca. 3 mm long, sometimes sparingly ciliate and crenulate, the throat bearded. Capsule ovoid, glabrous, 6-8 mm long, included in the indurate calyx.
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