Annual, erect, decumbent or ± prostrate, unbranched to much-branched, usually semi-succulent herb 3–35(–90) cm. long or tall; stems distinctly 4-angular or ± terete, glabrous, glabrescent or covered with long white spreading hairs or upper parts glabrous and lower hairy.. Leaves usually distinctly subsucculent; blades oblong, elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate or even almost round, 0.8–5 cm. long, 0.3–2.2 cm. wide, ± acute to very rounded at the apex, broad to very distinctly narrowed to the base, margins mostly ± thickened, pubescent to hairy or scabrid on both surfaces or glabrescent save for the distinctly scabrid margin; petiole 1–3(–7) mm. long; stipule-sheath 2–3 mm. long, usually hairy, with (3–)5–8 setae 1–6 mm. long.. Flowers (1–)4–10 in dense axillary clusters up to 1.6 cm. wide in fruit; pedicels obsolete or up to 0.5 mm. long.. Calyx-tube turbinate, hairy, 1.5–2 mm. long; lobes 4(–6), usually unequal, triangular, oblong-triangular, oblong or rounded-ovate, (1–)1.5–4.5 mm. long, 0.5–2 mm. wide, acute or obtuse.. Corolla white, pink, blue or mauve; tube funnel-shaped to campanulate, (3–)4–7 mm. long, up to 4(–6) mm. wide, upper half hairy outside; lobes ovate-triangular, 2–4.5 mm. long, 1–3 mm. wide, hairy outside.. Filaments exserted 1–2 mm.. Style exserted 3–4 mm., papillate; stigma 0.6–1 mm. wide.. Fruits oblong-ovoid, 2.5–4 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, usually covered with ± inflated blunt hairs but sometimes scabrid or glabrescent, splitting into 2 indehiscent cocci.. Cocci oblong-ellipsoid, 2.5–4 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, 1.2 mm. thick, the seed-ribs showing through the walls faintly.. Seeds very characteristic, oblong, 2.4 mm. long, 1.6 mm. wide, 1.1 mm. thick, dorsal surface with 2 longitudinal grooves and 10–12 deep lateral fissures on each side making the surface resemble a sternum and ribs; ventral surface similar but with only the main groove of the raphe; the actual seed surface is also pitted.
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