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Leaves mostly opposite to subopposite, borne on ascending petioles; lamina of the median leaves 5–15.5 × 2.6–6.8 cm (1.5–3.5 times longer than wide, widest in the upper one third), lowermost leaves smallest, sometimes not more than 9 × 3 mm), oblong-obovate to obovate or ± broadly oblong, ± rounded and shortly acuminate or subtruncate and apiculate at the apex, cuneate or rounded at the base, usually entire or sometimes with a few broad teeth towards the apex, light to dark green, somewhat discolorous, sparsely setose-puberulous with short hairs above and beneath, densest on the nervation; midrib and lateral nerves slightly to much impressed above and prominent beneath, the leaves ± bullate; petiole 0.7–3.5 cm long, 3–10-times shorter than the lamina, slender, canaliculate; internodes shorter than the leaves.
A suffrutex with a woody rhizomatous rootstock; stems herbaceous, 1–several, up to c. 1 m high (usually less than 30 cm), erect, usually simple, sometimes few-branched, often densely leafy in upper portion, with an indumentum of long spreading, ± densely hispid-pubescent, with short erect hairs interspersed with scattered or numerous long purplish to whitish pilose hairs.
Inflorescence terminal, capitate, subglobose and 3.5–9 cm long or somewhat elongate with additional flower clusters in the axils beneath, often exceeded by the uppermost leaves (excluding the corollas); bracts maroon to purplish or purple, 1.2–3.5 × 0.5–1.5 cm, elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, reticulate-nerved, the lowermost subfoliaceous, pubescent outside, ciliate.
Calyx 1.5–2 cm long, striate, glabrous or villose below; lobes dark purple or pale green margined with purple, 13–17 × 5.5–8 mm wide, ovate, acute or shortly apiculate (apiculum up to 1 mm long) or sometimes lanceolate and attenuate towards the apex, thin-textured, reticulate-nerved, glabrous to pilose outside, pale purple ciliate.
Corolla sweet-scented ("hyacinth-scent"), white or creamy-white; tube 5–7.5(9) cm long, with glandular hairs or ± sessile glands; lobes 11–12 × 7 mm, rounded at the apex.
Flowers ± pedicellate, the lowermost pedicels c. 6 mm long.
Stamens exserted for c. 2.5 cm; anthers c. 3 mm long.
Fruit c. 1.3 cm long and 0.8–1.3 cm wide.
