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Herbs perennial, glabrous. Stems densely tufted, ascending, quadrangular, 15--25 cm tall, branched, diffuse; axillary sterile branches present. Leaves linear or broadly linear, 1.5--3.5 cm × 0.5--2 mm, sometimes sparsely shortly ciliolate, midvein conspicuous, slightly narrowed at base, apex acuminate. Flowers in terminal or mostly axillary cymes; peduncles 3--6 cm, glabrous; bracts white, ovate-lanceolate, 1--2 mm, ciliate, sometimes margin membranous, apex long acuminate. Pedicel 1--1.5 cm, to 2.5 cm after anthesis, slender. Sepals 5, ovate-lanceolate, 2.5--3 mm, 3--4 mm in fruit, inconspicuously 3-veined, margin membranous, apex obtuse or slightly acute. Petals 5, subequaling or slightly longer than sepals, 2-cleft nearly to base; lobes sublinear, base narrowed, apex obtuse. Stamens 10; filaments linear; anthers yellow. Ovary ovoid-cylindric; styles 3. Capsule brown-black, ovoid-orbicular, 1.5--2 × as long as persistent sepals, 6-valved. Seeds numerous, brown, ovoid-orbicular or ellipsoid, 0.8--1 mm, nearly smooth. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Jun--Aug. 2n = 26.
