Annual, 6-35 cm high. Stems reddish brown, branched mainly in the upper half but with few branches often also from near base appearing at a later stage, with short, antrorsely appressed hairs. Leaves sessile, soon evanescent, linear, 0.7-1.5 by c. 0.1 mm, tapering towards base, apex subacute to obtusish, midrib deeply impressed, no lateral nerves present, margins revolute, covered by antrorse, bristly hairs on lower side arising from one circle of mineralized cells, white incrustations sometimes also present along margins. Inflorescence spike-like; lower bracts 2.5 mm, upper ones 1.5 mm long; pedicels 1-1.2 mm long at least in fruit, arising at about 2-3 mm distance from each other, divaricate to suberect. Calyx 1.5 mm long, with few appressed, bristly hairs, lobes free to base, ovate, 0.8 mm wide, subobtuse. Corolla funnel-shaped, white, 1.8-2 mm long, 1.5 mm in diam., white-powdery with bristly hairs outside, tube as long as calyx, lobes ovate to obovate, subvalvate in bud, 0.8 mm long. Stamens: anthers subsessile in upper part of tube, ovate. Pistil: style 0.3 mm long, stigma 0.4 mm with a broad disc and a central, obtuse cone. Fruit separating into 4 nutlets, constricted at margins of nutlets, 1 mm high, white-powdery on surface. Fig. 8.
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