Perennial herb, erect and little branched to trailing with the lower nodes rooting, or semi-scandent or scandent, 0.6–2 m. or probably more when scrambling over tall bushes.. Stem and branches rather weak, terete and striate in the older parts, becoming tetragonous and finally more clearly angled and sulcate above, densely pilose with patent or deflexed, whitish or yellowish, multicellular hairs, the older parts more thinly hairy and occasionally glabrescent; nodes distinctly swollen, the stem and branches shrunken above the nodes when dry.. Leaves broadly ovate to lanceolate-ovate or oblong-lanceolate, 4–10(–16) × (2.25–)3.5–7.5 cm., shortly cuneate to subcordate at the base, acute to shortly or more longly acuminate at the apex, moderately to densely furnished on the upper surface with appressed multicellular barbellate, hairs, more densely hairy on the lower surface with the venation sometimes densely velutinous; petiole of larger leaves 0.5–1.7 cm.. Inflorescences terminal on the stem and branches, each a spike-like thyrse formed of opposite or subopposite (occasionally clusters of more than 2) sessile or shortly (to ± 7 mm.) pedunculate globose condensed cymes 2–2.5 cm. in diameter, the entire thyrse (4–)6–20 cm. long with the lowest cymes increasingly distant; peduncle (3–)5–18 cm., both it and the inflorescence-axis densely yellowish or whitish pilose; bracts ovate or oblong-ovate, 4.5–5.5 mm., brownish or silvery membranous, whitish pilose at least along the midrib, which is excurrent in a short mucro; bracteoles ovate or deltoid-ovate, 4.5–7 mm., similarly membranous, thinly to moderately long-pilose at least along the midrib, which is excurrent into a distinct uncinate arista; ultimate divisions of lateral cymes formed of a central fertile flower subtended on each side by a triad of 1 fertile and 2 lateral modified flowers.. Outer 2 tepals lanceolate-subnavicular, 5–7 mm., both with an uncinate awn formed by the excurrent midrib, 1-nerved, with long whitish barbellate hairs along the central dorsal surface; inner 3 tepals shorter, 3.5–5 mm., oblong-lanceolate (broader than those of C. uncinulata), with 3–4 slender nerves along the greenish centre, not or obscurely mucronate, margins hyaline, the apical half densely pilose with whitish barbellate hairs.. Modified flowers of 2 lanceolate uncinate-tipped bracteoliform processes and a few uncinate spines of variable length.. Filaments delicate, ± 2–3 mm.; pseudostaminodes 0.75–1 mm., cuneate-oblong, fimbriate.. Ovary obovoid, ± 1 mm... Style slender, 2–3 mm.. Capsule ovoid, ± 2 mm., membranous with a firm flattish top.. Seed ovoid, ± 1.75 mm., brown, almost smooth.. Fig. 13/1–6.
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