Perennial herb, becoming very woody with age, stems c. 150-500 mm long, several tufted from a thick woody stock, prostrate or decumbent, usually well-branched forming a rounded or flattened cushion, ultimate branches rodlike, terminating in an inflorescence, minutely puberulous, hairs usually c. 0.1 mm long, rarely to 0.2 mm, recurved, closely leafy. Leaves fascicled, opposite becoming alternate upwards, largest primary leaves 7-23 x 1-2 mm, narrowly elliptic or linear-lanceolate, apex subacute or obtuse, base narrowed, margins entire, thickened, midrib channelled above, not raised below, glandular-punctate. Inflorescence a long narrow terminal panicle, lateral branchlets many, tending to lie on one side of axis, bracteate, simple or branched, individual racemes congested, few-flowered, c. 7-10 x 7-10 mm. Bract adnate to pedicel and about half calyx tube lowermost 3-4.8 x 1-1.6 mm, lanceolate-elliptic, acute, shallowly concave in lower part, hairs up to 0.15-0.5 mm long on margins, sometimes on back as well. Pedicels up to 0.2-0.5 mm long. Calyx 1.5-2.5 mm long, somewhat obliquely campanulate, lobed less than halfway, 2 anticous lobes larger than other three, pubescent outside, hairs 0.15-0.5 mm long. Corolla tube 3-4 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 4-5 mm across lateral lobes, posticous lobes 1.1-1.7 x 0.8-1.2 mm, anticous lobe 1.5-2.8 x 1.1-1.4 mm, all lobes elliptic, mauve. Stamens: posticous filaments 1.2-2.5 mm long, anticous filaments 1.5-3 mm, all anthers well exerted. Stigma and style c. 3.2-5.5 mm long, style puberulous. Ovary 0.5-0.8 x 0.3-0.6 mm. Cocci c. 1.5-2 x 1 mm, smooth, light brown.
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Perennial herb, up to 0.5 m high. Stems usually well branched into round or flattened cushions becoming woody with age. Leaves fascicled; blade narrowly elliptic or linear-lanceolate, 7-23 x 1-3 mm, apex subacute or obtuse, base narrowed, margins entire, midrib channelled on upper surface, raised on lower surface. Flowers: in a long, narrow, terminal panicle, packed in dense, globose heads ± 10 mm in diameter; bracts adnate to pedicels and ± half the calyx tube, with few to many eglandular hairs on back; calyx 5-lobed; corolla tube 3-4 mm long, funnel-shaped, limb 4-5 mm in diameter, all lobes elliptic, violet-blue or mauve; Jan.-May.
Perennial herb, later woody, cushion-like, dwarf shrub, up to 500 mm long; stems tufted, much branched, prostrate or decumbent, recurved-puberulous when young. Leaves: main ones up to 23 x 2 mm, narrowly elliptic or linear-lanceolate. Flowers in few-flowered, dense racemes ± 10 x 10 mm, these terminal on lateral branchlets, many together forming a long, narrow, secund, terminal panicle. Bracts adnate to ± 1/2 calyx tube, lanceolate-elliptic, acute. Calyx somewhat oblique, 5-lobed in upper 1/2, 2 anticous lobes bigger than others, pubescent outside. Corolla mauve. Flowering time mainly Jan.-May.
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