Erect to straggling annual herb with a short taproot, stems 60-180 (260) cm tall, much-branched, 6-angular with prominent pale ridges, ridges pale-hispid or rarely glabrous, young stems often with short eglandular and capitate glandular hairs. Leaves often falling before or during flowering/fruiting, ovate or lanceolate, 1.5-10 x 0.8-4.5 cm, base rounded to shortly attenuate, apex acute to acuminate, apiculate, surfaces hispid particularly margin and veins beneath, rarely largely glabrous; lateral veins (3) 5-7 pairs; petiole 2-22 mm long. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, compounded into a very lax 20 (40) cm pseudopanicle on largely bare upper branches; peduncles wiry, with short eglandular (often aculeolate) hairs and sparse to dense capitate glandular hairs, sometimes also pilose; main axis bracts linear-lanceolate, 2-4.5 (5.5) mm long; cymule peduncles (3.5) 8-22 (38) mm long, apex often abruptly bent; cymule bracts green, pairs highly unequal, ratio 1.2-2.5:1, larger bract subulate or linear-lanceolate, 7-17.5 x 0.7-1.7 mm, apiculate, margin narrowly hyaline towards base, external surface with or (when young) without minute eglandular and glandular hairs, often also with capitate glandular hairs, only midrib prominent, midrib usually aculeolate, margin sparsely ciliate; bracteoles as bracts but 3.5-7 mm long, margin hyaline. Calyx lobes 2-3.5 mm long, ciliate, with occasional minute glandular hairs externally, margin hyaline. Corolla 9-14 mm long, pink or mauve, rarely white, with purple guidelines, eglandular-pubescent externally; tube 4-6 mm long; lip held in upper position oblong, 4.5-8 x 1.5-3 mm, palate puberulous at mouth; lip held in lower position elliptic, 4.5-7 x 2.5-4 mm. Staminal filaments 3.5-7 mm long, sparsely hairy; anther thecae 0.5-0.75 mm long, superposed and somewhat oblique. Ovary largely glabrous. Capsule 8-12.5 mm long, eglandular-pubescent, with scattered short-stalked glands; placental base inelastic. Seeds 1.8-2.5 mm in diameter, tuberculate particularly towards rim, tubercles short, minutely hooked.
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