Herb, 15-150 cm high, woody at base. Stem at base 0.1-0.5 cm in diam., terete, some parts angular or grooved, smooth, simple or poorly branched; internodes 0.2-8 cm long. Leaves sessile, stiff, fleshy, (dried coriaceous, chartaceous to membranous), dull green, narrowly elliptic to ovate-elliptic or narrowly obovate, 1-11 x 0.1-3 cm, base cuneate or rounded, (semi-)amplexicaul; primary vein sunken, flat or slightly prominent above, pale, prominent, secondary veins, if visible, slightly prominent beneath. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary spike, 2-26 cm long, including peduncle of 0.5-7 cm long; bracts and bracteoles narrowly elliptic, 1.5-9 mm long (basal bracts sometimes leaf-like, up to 60 mm long). Flowers somewhat erect, sessile, verticillate, congested; calyx (glossy) green, coriaceous, 5-10 mm long, calyx lobes narrowly triangular, 3-7 x 1-2 mm, margin white, apex long-acuminate; corolla white to pink or purple, in throat dark purple, pink or lilac, chartaceous to membranous, 11-18 mm long, corolla lobes reflexed, narrowly elliptic, 5-9 x 1.5-3 mm, apex acuminate; filaments white, 2-7 mm long, anthers pale yellow or brown, 2.5-4.5 mm long; ovary ovoid, 4 x 1.5 mm, style white, 5 mm long, fleshy, stigma lobes white, 0.5-2 x 0.5-1.5 mm. Fruit green, ovoid or ellipsoid, 5-9 x 1.5-3 mm; seeds brown, 0.3 mm in diam.
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Herb, annual to 1.2 m tall; the stem erect, simple or sparsely branched, sub-terete (obtusely tetragonous). Leaves opposite-decussate; blade narrowly ovate-triangular or narrowly oblong-ovate, rounded at the base, long and sharply acute at the apex, to 11 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, spreading, the costa somewhat prominent beneath, the basal leaves elliptic to subobovate and rounded at the apex. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, spicate, the spikes elongated, to 20 cm long, densely flowered. Flowers decussate, the bracts to 4.5 mm long, the bracteoles 2-2.5 mm long; calyx 6-7 mm long, 4-lobed, the lobes unequal, nar-rowly triangular-acuminate, carinate, 3.5-4.5 mm long; corolla 11.5-13.5 mm long, white or greenish-white, the tube cylindrical, 5-6.6 mm long, the lobes patent, ovate, acute at the apex, 6-7 mm long and 2.8-3 mm wide; stamens with the filaments ca. 2.5 mm long, the anthers sagittate, obtuse, 3-3.2 mm long; ovary narrowly ovate, ca. 4 mm long and 1.5 mm in diameter, the style ca. 3.5 mm long, enlarged towards the apex, the stigma lobes erect, at least 1 mm long. Capsule narrowly ovate, acuminate, about as long as the calyx; seeds globose, ca. 0.3 mm long, the testa reticulate.
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