Glabrous herbaceous perennial to 1.5 m. tall though often less; stems erect, simple or with a few short branches in the lower half, fleshy, up to 1 cm. in diameter.. Leaves spirally arranged, crowded towards the shoot apices, dark green above but pale green beneath, sessile or with a petiole 5–10 mm. long; lamina linear-elliptic to linear-oblanceolate, 4.7–17 cm. long, 0.5–2.2 cm. broad, cuneate at the base, the apex subacute to acute or somewhat acuminate; lateral veins 7–9 pairs, oblique; margin shallowly serrate to serrulate.. Flowers in axillary fascicles of 2–7, rarely solitary, epedunculate or borne on a very short 1–3 mm. long peg, bright orange red, often with yellowish or greenish undertones.. Bracts linear-subulate, 2–3 mm. long.. Pedicels slender, 3–4.7 cm. long, ascending or horizontal in flower but becoming pendent in fruit.. Lateral sepals 2, ovate, 4–5 mm. long, 2–3.5 mm. broad, shortly apiculate.. Lower sepal broadly bucciniform to saccate, (10–)12–17 mm. long, 23–30 mm. deep, abruptly constricted into a short thick spur 7–11 mm. long.. Dorsal petal cucullate, 10–14 mm. long, 9–12 mm. broad, with a shallow entire crest running the full length of the petal.. Lateral united petals 12–16 mm. long; upper petal of each pair suborbicular to oblong, 6.5–8 mm. long, 7–7.5 mm. broad, entire; lower petal oblong, 5–8.5 mm. long, 4–5.5 mm. broad, usually slightly apiculate at the apex.. Ovary glabrous.. Fruit fusiform, 15–22 mm. long, 4–8 mm. broad.
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