Herbs, perennial, with thin rhizomes. Stems 2-4 from a common base, erect, usually unbranched, 20-30(-40) cm tall, with only 4 or 5 internodes from base to first inflorescence node, with 4 prominent, rounded, and whitish angles, glabrous and smooth except for short and stiff hairs at nodes. Leaves and leaflike stipules in whorls of 4, subsessile; blade drying somewhat leathery and light brownish green, broadly elliptic to ovate, (15-)23-30(-50) × (8-)11-15(-25) mm, length/ breadth index 2.5 or less, gradually narrowed into base, broadest near middle, gradually narrowed into apex, mostly shortly apiculate but without a hyaline point, glabrous except for antrorse microhairs (0.1-0.2 mm) along 3 main veins, mostly on lower but also on upper side and along slightly revolute margins, papillose on upper side under a strong lens (20×), lower side clearly marked by numerous darker and linear idioblasts. Inflorescences loosely thyrsoid and elongate, from uppermost 2 or 3 nodes, clearly longer than subtending leaves, cymes lateral and terminal, somewhat divaricate, 1-4 cm, with few and inconspicuous linear bracts and rather few flowered; peduncles 1-2 cm and pedicels 0.1-1 cm. Ovary obovoid, 0.8-1 mm. Corolla greenish white, rotate, ca. 3 mm in diam., glabrous; lobes 4, acuminate. Ripe mericarps ovoid, 1.5-2(-3) mm, densely covered by stiff and appressed to slightly divergent microhairs, 0.15-0.25 mm and with an acute and ± bent apex. Fl. Jul, fr. Aug.
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