Shrub, small, decumbent to erect, sparsely branched, up to 15 cm high, roots not tuberous. Stems lignified. Leaves almost cylindrical, narrowly ovate, with large epidermal bladder cells, decussate and shortly connate at the base, persistent. Flowers in few-flowered dichasia, bright pink with an eye-like golden-yellow centre (thus the name!), opening incompletely, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, calyx 5-lobed, lobes remaining erect during anthesis, most petals borne in a distinct cylinder, only a few outermost petals spreading, filamentous staminodes absent, calyx lobes as well as corolla parts and stamens connate into a short tube, stamens and stigmas concealed, nectaries consisting of 5 shell-shaped depressions, ovaries semi-inferior, placentation axile. Fruits hygrochastic capsules, opening and closing repeatedly by means of expanding keels, 5-locular, valve wings inflexed over the valves. Seeds D-shaped, brown, with crest.
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