Shrubs or perennial herbs, to 70 cm tall, isophyllous. Stems 4-angled, sulcate, retrorsely white hirsute. Petiole 5-10 mm, shortly white pubescent; leaf blade elliptic to oblong-elliptic, 2-7 × 1-3 cm, leathery, indumentum very variable, both surfaces usually scabrous-hispid but abaxially sometimes whitish silky tomentose and occasionally glabrous except for pubescent midvein, secondary veins 5-7 on each side of midvein, base broadly cuneate, margin entire and scabrid to thinly ciliate, apex acute. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, short dense subcapitate spikes, becoming clustered in apicalmost leaf axils; spikes usually subsessile but occasionally basal ones with a 0.5-3(-7) cm peduncle; bracts ovate-lanceolate, 13-15 × 3-5 mm, subleathery, abaxially and on margin with white multicellular trichomes, adaxially glabrous, apex long acuminate; bracteoles linear, 10-11 × ca. 1 mm, both surfaces covered with white cystoliths, abaxially and on margin sparsely pilose with multicellular trichomes, adaxially glabrous. Calyx 1-1.3 cm, 5-lobed for ca. 1/2 its length; lobes linear, lower 2 becoming distinct, upper 3 remaining connate, outside pubescent to subglabrous, inside glabrous, margin pilose. Corolla lilac with a white tube, funnel-shaped, 2.5-3.5 cm, outside glabrous, inside glabrous except for trichomes retaining style; tube basally cylindric and ca. 1 mm wide for 1.3-1.5 cm then abruptly inflated to ca. 1 cm in diam.; lobes suborbicular, ca. 5 × 5 mm, subequal, apex obtuse. Stamens 2, exserted; filaments ca. 1 cm, glabrous; anther thecae ellipsoid, ca. 2.5 mm; pollen type 11. Ovary white, narrowly oblong, pilose at tip; style ca. 3.5 cm, curved, pilose. Capsule oblong, 1-1.3 cm, glabrous except for a few trichomes at tip, 4-seeded. Seeds ovate in outline, ca. 2 mm, convex on both surfaces, pubescent; areola large, glabrous. Fl. Aug-Jan, fr. Sep-Feb.
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