Herb, 15-25 cm tall. Stem creeping at base, quadrate, reddish, glabrous, internodes longer than leaves. Leaves contracted into a winged petiole up to 2 mm long; blade lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 x 0.5-0.8 cm, apically subobtuse, acute or contracted at base, thin, both surfaces glabrous, cystoliths not readily discernible; secondary veins 4-5 pairs. Inflorescence of terminal, sessile to pedunculate, cylindric, uninterrupted, densely bracted spikes of 1.2-5 cm long and 0.8 cm in diam. near midspike, rachis not or hardly visible; cymes usually 3-flowered, lowermost sessile, subtended by a pair of reduced cauline leaves, remainder subtended by bracts; bracts narrowly obovate, 5.5 x 1.8 mm, aristate at apex, ending in a 0.4 mm long awn, prominently 3-veined, glabrous, margin eciliate; bracteoles narrowly elliptic, 4.5-5 x 1-1.2 mm, aristate at apex, not venose, glabrous, secondary bracteoles similar to bracteoles except somewhat smaller. Flowers subsessile; calyx 5 mm long, without globose glands, abaxially glabrescent, posterior lobe obovate, 6 x 2.1 mm, aristate at apex with a 0.5 mm long awn, somewhat venose with 3 prominent, longitudinal veins, margin sparsely and shortly ciliolate, lateral lobes lance-subulate, 3-4 x 0.4 mm, with 1 longitudinal vein, margin ciliolate, anterior lobes narrowly oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, not connate, 4 x 0.8 mm, aristate at apex with a 0.5 mm long awn, each with 1 longitudinal vein, usually ± venose; corolla whitish with brown streaks on lower lip, 5.5-6 mm long, tube cylindric, 3.5 mm long, limb glabrous, upper lip 2.25-2.5 mm long, 2-lobed, lobes rounded, 0.4-0.5 mm, lower lip 2.5-3 mm long, lobes oblong, 1.2-2 x 1-1.2 mm; stamens 4, longer pair 2.2 mm long, shorter pair 1.5 mm long, thecae 0.4-0.5 mm long, both pairs parallel and unequally inserted, unappendaged at base; style 4 mm long, curved toward lower lip of corolla at apex, glabrous, stigma subcapitate, 0.2 mm long, lobes, inconspicuous. Capsule 4 mm long, pubescent near apex with erect to flexuose eglandular trichomes; seeds not seen.
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