Twiggy shrub to c. 0.5 m high, erect and/or leaning on adjacent vegetation, with few branches arising from a thickened root stock; new stems mostly glabrous, ridged and noticeably tuberculate (with wart-like projections) purple-pink, often covered in a white, chartaceous, decorticating outer ‘skin’; older shoots becoming red-brown, noticeably tuberculate; short shoots present, not spinescent. Juvenile foliage with angular stems. Juvenile leaves sessile, to 10 mm long and 1 mm wide, margin slightly incurved, not lobed, with persisting rigid hair bases, apex mucronate. Adult leaves fascicled in large groups, sessile but articulate with branches, stem-clasping, thick, linear, 20–40 mm long, 1–2 mm wide; margin incurving to canaliculate, minutely ciliate with rigid, persisting hair bases; apices mucronate, recurved, resulting in the leaves resembling looping caterpillars; venation obscure with only the midrib prominent on the lower surface. Inflorescences terminal, branched corymbs held just beyond the leaves, with at least several irregular flowers; rachis to 20 mm long, smooth, green-purple, subtended by leaf-like bracts to 8 mm long; peduncles 5–8 mm long; pedicels to 10 mm long, glabrous. Sepals very irregular, 2–8 mm long, 2 mm wide, often this variable on the same flower, mostly almost oblong; margins incurving, ciliate with rigid trichomes; outer surface waxy, green towards the base, remaining lamina deep blue-purple, inner surface ciliate, paler. Petals obovate, 16–23 mm long, 7–12 mm wide; apex rounded, ciliate, incurving and slightly cuspidate; outer surface deep blue at the margins and on the venation; inner surface all deep royal blue. Stamens free, grouped together like the fingers of a hand facing petal break; filaments about the same length as anthers, 3–4 mm, unequal, deep purple-blue, thin twisting; anthers 4–5 mm, almost oblong, golden-yellow, deep basal sinus.Pistil barely stipitate; ovary bilocular, to 5–6 mm long; style purple, hooked towards the anthers, to 5 mm long; stigmatic development minimal. Fruit and seeds not seen.
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