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Suffruticose perennial, ± much-branched from a woody rootstock, branches often scrambling or sprawling, 20-100 cm tall; herbaceous stems 6-angular, prominently ridged, at first pale-hispid on ridges, later glabrescent but with swollen hair bases persisting, rarely glabrous throughout except for hispid nodal line; woody stems with pale grey flaking bark. Leaves sometimes immature at flowering, ovate or lanceolate, 2-6 x 0.5-2.3 cm, base obtuse to shortly attenuate, apex acute or subattenuate, mucronulate, surfaces pale (hispid-) pilose or hairs restricted to margin and main veins beneath; lateral veins (3)4-5 pairs; petiole 1-7 mm long. Inflorescence axillary, 1(2) umbels of (1)2-3(4) cymules per axil, umbels often partially compounded, together sometimes forming loose slender terminal pseudopanicles on largely leafless branches; umbel peduncle (1)3-17(27) mm long, indumentum as stems; main axis bracts usually linear-lanceolate, 2-7 x 0.5-1 mm, more rarely leafy and elliptic-lanceolate, up to 16 x 5.5 mm; longest cymule peduncle in each umbel (2.5)4-23 mm long, lateral peduncles sometimes abruptly bent at apex; cymule bracts green, tardily turning (pinkish-)brown, pairs unequal, ratio (1.1)1.25-1.5(1.7):1, larger bract linear-lanceolate to subulate, 7-15.5 x 1-1.7 mm, apex shortly attenuate, external surface rather stiffly antrorse-pubescent, hairs sometimes restricted to prominent midrib, margin narrowly pale-hyaline; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 5.5-10 mm long, external surface as bracts or sometimes also sparsely puberulent. Calyx lobes 3.3-5.5 mm long, margin hyaline, ciliate, external surface glabrous. Corolla 15.5-20 mm long, pale pink, mauve, purple or white, with purple guidelines, eglandular-pubescent externally; tube 6.5-9 mm long; lip held in upper position narrowly oblong, 9-11.5 x 3-3.5 mm, palate puberulous towards mouth; lip held in lower position broadly ovate-elliptic, 8-11 x 5.5-8 mm. Staminal filaments 6-7 mm long, shortly pubescent above; anther thecae 0.75-1 mm long, superposed but touching. Style glabrous. Capsule 8.5-11 mm long, glabrous; placental base inelastic. Seeds 1.5-2 mm in diameter, tuberculate, tubercles minutely hooked when immature.
P. decorticans differs from P. paniculata, with which it has often been confused, by its perennial (not annual) habit, woody (not herbaceous) stem bases, white, peeling (not black) bark, strigose (not glandular-pubescent or glabrous) tertiary bracts, larger [14.7-19.0 (not 6.6-13.7) mm long] flowers and usually glabrous (not pubescent) capsule. P. decorticans differs from P. cernua by its white peeling (not green or white, non-peeling) bark, strigose (not densely glandular) tertiary bracts and presence of honey-guides on the lip in the lower position. Flowering time: plants have been collected in flower throughout the year, with peaks in December, January, May, July and November. In cultivation, plants flower sporadically in all seasons, although they produce more flowers in autumn and early winter.
Perennial herb or shrub, up to 1 m high. Bark on older stems white, peeling; young stems with stiff eglandular hairs on ridges, glabrous between ridges. Leaves ovate, narrowly ovate or elliptic, scabrid and with eglandular hairs. Tertiary bracts (7.5-)9.3-12.9 (-17.0) x (0.6-)0.9-1,3(-1,5) mm, longer than calyx lobes, strigose. Flowers light purple, with purple honey guides.
