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Leaves in whorls of 3–4, very discolorous; blades 4–9 × 1.2–4.6 cm, elliptic, oblong-elliptic or, less often, oblong-lanceolate, rounded to acute or even retuse at the apex, usually apiculate, rounded to broadly cuneate at the base, with venation impressed above and raised beneath, the leaf upper surface almost bullate, pubescent above but not in any way obscuring the surface, densely woolly-velvety beneath with grey, whitish, ochraceous or ± ferruginous hairs usually completely obscuring the lower surface, occasionally thinner and not obscuring it, without an understorey of papillae but with a pattern of stomata; petiole c. 2 mm long; stipules with base c. 2 mm long and with linear appendage 4–11 mm long.
A shrubby herb. It has a woody rootstock. Several unbranched stems arise from the rootstock. The upper stems are 4 angled. The stems are 25-90 cm tall. The leaves are in rings of 3-4. They have a round base and sharp tip. They are hairy underneath. The flowers are small and yellow to green. They are in groups or 1-5 in the axils of leaves. The fruit are round, shiny and black. They have 5 rough seeds.
Corolla apiculate in bud; yellow, greenish-yellow or cream-coloured; tube c. 4 mm long, glabrous outside; lobes 3–5 × 1.5–2.5 mm, triangular, apiculate, ± hairy outside above, the apiculae up to 2 mm long.
Suffrutex with several unbranched stems 25–90 cm tall from a woody rootstock; stems ± 4-angled, densely hairy, particularly above.
Inflorescences 1–5-flowered, with flowers in sessile or pedunculate fascicles; peduncles 1–5 mm long; pedicels 1–6 mm long.
Calyx tube 2 mm long, glabrous to pubescent; limb-tube up to 0.5 mm long; lobes 1–2.5 mm long, ovate to linear-lanceolate.
Fruit black, glossy, about 10 mm in diameter, subglobose, with up to 5 pyrenes.
Pyrenes 8 mm long and 4.5 mm wide, segment-shaped, reticulate-rugose.
Pollen presenter whitish, 1.5 mm long, oblong or obconic.
Style pale green, exserted 2 mm.
