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Flowers small, erect or horizontal, in dichasiums grouped in a terminal, sometimes diffuse panicle, 12-38 cm. long, very ample, very floriferous and with flexuous axis in cultivated plants, with a glaucous bloom; peduncle (5)20-41 cm. long, straight or flexuous, terete, smooth, with 1·3 pairs of lanceolate, barren bracts; primary panicle-branches in 2-4 pairs, up to 11 cm. long, erect to erect-spreading, slender, subtended by bracts:fc 3-5 mm. long, the lower ones repeatedly dichotomous; cymes 4-7 cm. long, unilateral, with 4-13 flowers; pedicels 2-10(15) mm. long, much longer than the minute bracteoles, thickened upwards, dull purple.
Leaves (1·5)3-10(13) x (0·7)1·5-3·7(6) cm., obovate to spathulate, rounded or subtruncate at the top, all entire or the upper ones irregularly and obtusely crenate towards the apex, cuneate below and tapering into a broad petiolar base or subsessile, fleshy, flattish, rigid and subchartaceous on drying, pale green with a slight glaucous bloom on both sides, sometimes with purplish spots, decussate, sometimes crowded and subrosulate or, mainly the upper ones, ± scattered, the lower spreading, the upper suberect; nerves faintly conspicuous.
Corolla 5-7(8) mm. long; tube 4·5-5 mm. long, obsoletely 4-angled and scarcely dilated at the base, c. 4·5 mm. in diameter at the top and there distinctly 4-angled, greenish (lineolate with violet) to lilac; corolla-lobes 1·75-2(3) x 1·1-8 mm., oblong, obtuse, erect or slightly spreading, whitish or greenish, with the median part dull purple or with 5-7 longitudinal purplish veins.
Filaments minutely papillose, inserted above the middle of corolla-tube, those of the lower stamens c. 0-5 mm. long, those of the upper ones 0·75-1·5 mm.; anthers 0·5 or 1 mm. long, suborbicular or oblong, apiculate, those of the lower stamens ± at the level of the mouth of corolla-tube, those of the upper ones exserted (attaining the middle of corolla-lobes).
Stem 2·5-11 cm. long (up to 20 cm. (?) in cultivated plants) arising from a subhorizontal rhizomatous woody base up to 1 cm. thick, erect or oblique, simple or with few branches, purple or slightly glaucous; lower internodes ± short, the upper ones increasing up to 8-5 cm.
Calyx 1·1·5(2) mm. long and 2 mm. in diameter, dull purple, falling off with the corolla; tube 0·25-0·5 mm. long; sepals broadly triangular, acute, glaucous.
A completely glabrous, perennial succulent up to 83 cm. tall (with the inflorescence).
Follicles 4·5-5 mm. long; styles 0·5-1 mm. long.
Scales 1·5-2 mm. long, linear, bifid.
