Erect or sprawling, sparingly clonal shrub to 50 cm, grey-green or yellowish-green, densely pubescent with stellate hairs, sometimes scabrous; prickles to 6 mm long, abundant on stems, petioles, peduncles and calyx, sparse or absent elsewhere. Leaves ovate-elliptic; lamina mostly 5–9 cm long 1.5–4 cm wide, sometimes larger, entire to slightly undulate; petiole 1–4 cm long. Inflorescence up to 20–flowered; peduncle 15–20 mm long; rachis to 8 cm long; pedicels 5–10 mm long. Calyx 6–10 mm long; lobes narrowly triangular, 4–6 mm long. Corolla stellate or pentagonal, 20–25 mm diam., purple. Anthers 4–6 mm long. Berry globular or depressed globular, 10–15 mm diam., light yellow-brown, finally hard and bony. Seeds 2–3 mm long, pale mustard-yellow to light grey.
Commonly occurs on undulating plains, levee banks ofseasonally flooded water courses, or flood-out plains.
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