Perennial herb, stems 150-500 mm long, several tufted from apex of woody taproot, prostrate to suberect, often simple (apart from the well branched panicle), sometimes loosely branched, floriferous in upper part, puberulous, hairs up to 0.15-0.2 mm long, rather coarse, strongly recurved, ± appressed, leafy. Leaves opposite, alternate upwards, fascicled, largest primary leaves 10-18 x (1-)1.2-1.8 mm, linear oblong or narrowly elliptic, apex acute to ± obtuse, base narrowed, margins entire, thickened, midrib slightly raised on lower surface, invisible on upper, glandular-punctate, coarse hairs up to 0.1 mm long on margins and both surfaces, sometimes sparse on upper surface of large leaves; axillary leaves similar but smaller. Inflorescence composed of innumerable small racemes c. 4-5 x 4-5 mm in first flower, elongating to c. 15 mm in fruit, lowermost flowers then sometimes distant, peduncles mostly up to c. 10 mm long, arranged at first in long narrow panicles, these capable of compounding into big structures with a spread of 150 mm at base (as in type). Bract adnate to pedicel and calyx tube, lowermost c. 2-3.8 x 0.8-1 mm, elliptic, concave, obtuse, ± hooded (ignore flowers sometimes in axils of uppermost leaves), with membranous white margins c. 0.1-0.15 mm at their broadest, glandular-punctate, coarse hairs up to 0.1-0.15 mm long on margins, few tiny hairs on keel or sometimes these more frequent and up to 0.15 mm long. Pedicel up to 0.2-0.3 mm long. Calyx 1.25-1.8 mm long, very obliquely 3-lobed, anticolateral lobes 1.2-1.7 x 0.5-0.8 mm, hairs up to 0.15-0.25 mm long on margins, outside minute acute hairs on keels and posticous side, together with many very minute glandular hairs. Corolla tube 1.5-2 mm long (all parts smaller when flowers female), funnel-shaped, limb 2.3-2.5 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lip 0.7-1 x 0.8-1.2 mm, sometimes notched, anticous lobe 1.1-1.4 x 0.8-1 mm, all lobes oblong-elliptic, white. Stamens: posticous filaments 1-1.8 mm long, anticous filaments 1.3-2 mm, all anthers well exserted (except in female flowers). Stigma and style 1.7-3.8 mm long, style glabrous. Ovary c. 0.3 x 0.3 mm. Cocci 1.1-1.4 x 0.8-1 mm, red-brown, granular, the pair broadly ovoid in outline. Flowering has been recorded in most months, but the peak period is probably January.
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