Dwarf shrub up to 40 cm high. Stems erect or ascending, well branched; branches mostly paired at nodes, ascending at 30-45°, yellowish or pale grey and densely deflexed-velutinous when young, glabrescent and charcoal-grey later. Leaves decussate, widely spaced; blades of long shoot leaves ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate but short shoot leaves linear or linear-lanceolate, 3-7 x 1 mm, flat adaxially and convex abaxially with midrib evident; margins scabridulous. Flowers mostly paired at nodes, rarely single, widely spaced, mostly 2-10 mm apart; male flowers unknown; female flowers: corolla 4-merous, evidently whitish or pale yellowish, tube ±0.1 mm long, lobes 0.8-1.0 x 0.3 mm; stigmas 3-4 mm long, evidently purplish red; ovary ±1 x 1 mm, wide 4 small calyx lobes. Fruit indehiscent, subglobose to ellipsoid, 3-5 x 3.0 mm, ± leathery and readily squashed between two fingers, not supported by carpophore, densely velutinous with short, whitish, spreading hairs, greyish to brown, crowned by minute or obsolete, rounded calyx lobes ± 0.3 mm long.