Herbs, perennial, from filiform rhizomes ascending to erect, ca. 30 cm tall. Stems single, strongly branched from base, with 4 prominent and whitish angles, glabrous and smooth, only slightly aculeolate at nodes. Middle stem leaves and leaflike stipules in whorls of 4-6; blade drying papery and greenish-brownish, lanceolate, (12-)15-20(-25) × (3-)4-6(-7) mm, glabrous but on adaxial side near margins with antrorse appressed microhairs, on ± flat margins retrorsely (sometimes also somewhat antrorsely) aculeolate, subsessile and gradually narrowed into base, largest breadth near middle, apex cuspidate with hyaline point; principal vein 1. Inflorescences broadly ovate, many flowered, cymes terminal and lateral, 2.5-5 cm, slender, leafy and bracteate to last branches, ± divaricate; axes glabrous; peduncles 1.5-2 cm; pedicels 0.5-5 mm. Flowers hermaphroditic. Ovary obovoid, 0.5-0.8 mm, with appressed curved hairs. Corolla dried reddish brown, rotate, 1.5-2 mm in diam.; lobes 4, triangular, cuspidate. Mericarps ovoid, 1.8-2.5 mm, with ± spreading uncinate trichomes 0.2-0.3 mm. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug-Sep.
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