Herbs annual. Taproot dark brown, terete. Stems erect or ascending below, much branched from base or apex, 15-45 cm tall, sparsely spreading villous, densely appressed short white pubescent. Leaves sessile, linear-spatulate to linear-oblong, 2-4(-5) cm × 2-5 mm, densely appressed white villous, hairs inflated leathery discoid at base, base attenuate, margin entire, villous, apex obtuse. Inflorescences on stem branches, to 20-25 cm in fruit; bracts leaflike, linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 0.8-2.5 cm × 1.5-6 mm, base attenuate to rotund, apex ± acute. Flowers opposite. Pedicel 1.5-2 mm, to 3-5 mm in fruit. Calyx 2-2.5 mm; lobes linear-lanceolate, to 5 mm in fruit, villous outside, sparsely short pubescent inside. Corolla blue, 2.5-3 mm; tube ca. 2 mm, ca. as long as calyx; throat appendages trapeziform, ca. 0.3 mm; lobes of limb elliptic, ca. 1 mm. Anthers broadly ovoid, ca. 3 mm. Style surpassing nutlets, ca. 0.3 mm. Nutlets broadly ovoid, ca. 3 mm, with milky white tubercles; disc ovate-triangular; marginal glochids in (1 or) 2 rows; inner glochids 0.4-2 mm, base somewhat widened, confluent, rarely free, frequently with short fine glochids between them; outer glochids 0.2-0.5 mm. Fl. and fr. Jun-Sep.
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