Stems several from a perennial woody rootstock, 10-15 in. high, 2/3-1 1/4 lin. thick, subumbellately branching at the upper part, naked and simple or sometimes with a few branches on the lower part; branches more slender, rather densely leafy throughout, very minutely puberulous; leaves alternate, very spreading or slightly deflexed, subpetiolate, somewhat rigid, 3-6 lin. long, 2/3-1 1/2 lin. broad, lanceolate, acute, somewhat pungently mucronate, veinless, except for the midrib, glabrous on both sides; umbel 3-5-rayed; rays 1/3-3/4 in. long, simple or once-branched, sometimes naked below the flowering-bracts, with the whorl of bracts at the base like the flowering-bracts, sometimes bearing several alternate leaves like those on the stem or with two pairs of opposite barren flowering bracts besides those under the flowers and the whorl of bracts at the base of the umbel lanceolate and nearly like the stem-leaves; flowering-bracts 1 3/4-2 1/2 lin. long, 2 1/2-3 lin. broad, very broadly deltoid-ovate, acute, or subreniform-ovate and very abruptly and shortly acute, glabrous on both sides; involucre about 1 1/2 lin. in diam., cup-shaped, glabrous, with 4 glands and 5 oblong minutely toothed lobes; glands 1/2-2/3 lin. in their greater diam., transverse, somewhat crescent-shaped with a horn at each end; capsule 1 1/3-1 1/2 lin. in diam., glabrous, very obtusely three-lobed, glabrous, exserted 3/4 lin. beyond the involucre on a curved pedicel; styles free, widely spreading from their base, 1/3 lin. long, bifid at the apex; seeds 1 lin. long, ellipsoid, smooth, dark brown.
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