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Erect, dwarf shrub, 0.2-0.6 m high. Leaves 3(4)-nate, 2-4 mm long, ± ovate, apex obtuse, margins revolute, closed or open-backed, with long, white, pointed hairs. Flowers solitary or axillary in masses, a few terminal. Calyx sepals ± 1 mm long, ± narrowly ovate, hispid or glandular-ciliate, dark red. Corolla cyathiform, urceolate or campanulate, ± 2 mm long, glabrous, dry, white, pale pink, purple or red; lobes rounded, apex acute. Anthers 6-8, included or manifest, 0.5-1.5 mm long, oblong, obtuse, aristate; pore 3/5-2/3 length of theca; appendages long and thin. Ovary substipitate, glabrous or pubescent; style swollen, just exserted, dark red; stigma capitate-peltate. Flowering time Jan.-July.
Leaves in whorls of 3, patent to ascending, very narrowly ovate, obtuse, sulcate below, 1·0–4·0 mm. long, 0·4–1·2 mm. wide, with short simple hairs over the whole surface and distant cilia on the apparent margin with side branches on their basal parts and forked or glandular tips; petioles c. 0·3 mm. long, pubescent.
Erect or diffuse shrub, up to ± 0.6 m high. Leaves 3-nate, hispid-ciliate, scabrid-hispidulous or glabrous. Flowers mostly axillary, solitary along upper part of branches. Corolla broad-cyathiform or subcampanu-late. Anthers included or subincluded. Style exserted. Flowers pale pink, red or white.
Branchlets ascending, narrow, the finest 0·2–0·3 mm. in diameter, without infrafoliar ridges, pubescent with very short simple hairs c. 0·05 mm. long and sparser hairs up to 0·7 mm. long with many side branches on the lower part and the tips forked or glandular.
Bracteoles opposite, inserted on the upper half of the pedicel, membranous, up to 0·5 mm. long but sometimes much smaller or absent; pubescence of bracts and bracteoles the same as that of leaves but the marginal cilia closer.
Corolla broadly campanulate to crateriform, mauve, pink or white, glabrous except for the minutely ciliate margins, 1·0–1·8 mm. long, 1·0–2·5 mm. broad, lobes cuneate, obtuse, sinuses broadly acute, c. 0·5 mm. deep.
Flowers in clusters of 6–9 at the tips of the side branchlets and in the axils of the upper whorls of leaves on the main branches, forming a narrow paniculate inflorescence up to 20 cm. long.
Stamens 6–8, not quite equalling the corolla lobes but exceeding the sinuses, filaments c. 1·0 mm. long, anthers broad, c. 0·7 mm. long, with aristate appendages c. 0·3 mm. long.
Flowers at the tips of the branchlets with a basal narrow spathulate bract 1·0–1·5 mm. long, flowers in axils of leaves on main branches without a bract.
Ovary depressed globose, pubescent; style glabrous, exceeding the corolla, c. 1· 3 mm. long, stigma capitate to peltate, 0·25–0·4 mm. in diameter.
Calyx segments united at the base only, narrowly ovate, obtuse, c. 0·8 mm. long, pubescence the same as that of the leaves.
Pedicels pubescent with short simple hairs, 0·5–1·0 mm. long.
Erect branched sub–shrub 20–60 cm. tall.
