Herbs or shrubs, lianescent, climbing, clambering, or scandent, to 1 m; stems terete to weakly 4-angled, often longitudinally ridged and/or sulcate, glabrous or hirtellous to pilosulous or hispidulous at least in longitudinal lines, or tomentose in var. mollissima. Leaves subsessile to petiolate; petiole to 4 mm, glabrous to puberulent or hispidulous, or tomentose (var. mollissima); blade drying membranous, ovate, lanceolate, elliptic, or elliptic-lanceolate, 2-12 × 1-4 cm, glabrous or sparsely to moderately puberulent to hispidulous or hirtellous, or tomentose (var. mollissima), base acute to obtuse then often decurrent, apex acute to shortly or long acuminate; secondary veins 3 or 4 pairs; stipules fused to petiole bases, glabrous to densely puberulent, hispidulous, or strigillose, or tomentose (var. mollissima), triangular, 1.5-5 mm, entire or serrulate at margins, acute to acuminate with tip 0.5-1.5 mm, often spreading to recurved. Inflorescences terminal and often also in axils of uppermost leaves, 4-25 cm, with 3-15 globose, capitate to subcapitate heads in groups of 3, groups then paniculate, pyramidal, densely puberulent to hirtellous or glabrous, or tomentose (var. mollissima), pedunculate; peduncle 1-5 cm; bracts subtending axes triangular to oblanceolate, 1-10 mm, bracts subtending flowers reduced to a tuft of pubescence; heads 3-6 mm in diam. (not including corollas), 8-15 mm in diam. (including corollas). Flowers sessile or subsessile, distylous. Calyx glabrous to densely puberulent; hypanthium portion campanulate to obconic, 0.8-1 mm; limb lobed for 1/3-3/4, 1-2 mm; lobes oblong to narrowly triangular. Corolla white to pale blue, funnelform, outside glabrous, inside densely bearded in throat and onto lobes; tube 1-2 mm; lobes ligulate, 3-5 mm. Anthers included or exserted, 1-1.2(-2) mm. Stigmas linear, 1-2 mm. Fruit capsular, ellipsoid to globose, 2-3 mm in diam., glabrescent, septicidally then loculicidally dehiscent (but see discussion below); seeds numerous, angled. Fl. almost year-round, fr. not seen from China.
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A sprawling herb or small shrub. It can be climbing. It grows 1 m tall. The stems are slightly 4 angled. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped. They are 2-12 cm long by 1-4 cm wide. They can have teeth on the edge. The flowers are in 3-15 round heads near the ends of the branches.
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