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Spikes 1–4 per axil and clustered at the stem and branch apices and often also in the axils of the upper leaves, densely many-flowered, 1.5–3.8 × 1–1.5 cm, somewhat hemispherical in flower, ovoid-oblong in fruit; peduncles 1–7 cm long, slender, suberect, shortest in the terminal inflorescences; lower bracts 7–10 × 2.5–5 mm and longer than the flowers, progressively smaller upwards, ovate, ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, abruptly acute to ± attenuate apically, membranous, green or pale green, ± densely appressed-pubescent and minutely glandular outside, glabrous or sparsely pubescent towards the apex on the inside, spreading or reflexed at least after anthesis, or the lower ones completely deflexed, easily caducous.
Leaves usually opposite, occasionally 3-whorled, up to 12.5 × 4.5(5.8) cm, smaller on the branches, ovate or ovate-lanceolate to elliptic, acute at the apex, shortly cuneate or rounded at the base, serrate-crenate or minutely crenate, except at the base, chartaceous, closely rugose-bullate, reticulate, scabrid above with whitish tubercle-based hairs, densely pubescent and less scabrid beneath, the hairs longer and denser on the nerves, with numerous sessile glands, sometimes glabrescent; midrib prominent below with 5–8 pairs of main nerves, ascending, ± arcuate, impressed above, paler and somewhat raised beneath, reticulation impressed above and prominent beneath; petiole 2–7(10) mm long.
Corolla slightly to strongly scented, white with yellow throat, 2-lipped; tube c. 5 mm long, cylindric, suddenly dilated into the limb, densely and shortly pubescent and also minutely glandular towards the top; limb upper lip c. 3.5 mm wide, subtriangular, limb lower lip 4–5.5 mm wide, 3-lobed, the median lobe the largest up to 1.5 × 2 mm, the lateral lobes suboblong.
Stems erect, 4-angular ± striate and sulcate with internodes up to 11 cm long, strigose with bulbous-based whitish hairs, the indumentum similar on branches, petioles and peduncles; branches suberect, straight.
A many-stemmed perennial herb 0.5–1.5 m high from a woody rootstock, or shrub 1–3 m high, leaves aromatic when crushed.
Mericarps plano-convex, 1–1.2 × 0.6 mm on the commisural face.
Calyx 2-lobed, c. 1.5 mm long, uniformly white-hispid.
