Annual, erect, in all parts glabrous and without glandular hairs, up to 35 cm high. Stem repeatedly branched from the base, 5-angular to 5-costate, whitish or green, turning carmine. Leaves variously coloured, alternate or distichous along the stem, sessile, broadly ovate, cuneate or subrounded at the base, 7-8 mm long and wide, the floral leaves opposite (leaf and bract), broadly ovate or elliptic-lanceolate, subacutely attenuate, smaller than the cauline leaves. Inflorescences cymose, many-flowered. Flowers sessile in the axil of the leaf-like bracts. Calyx-tube, (ovary) 12-13 mm long; segments linear, the 2 anterior ones connate into a slightly bifid lobe. Corolla small, white with a fine violet streak passing into white, tube about half as long as the calyx-lobes, appendages of the throat absent; segments 2-3 mm long, not free, 4 of which being connate into 2 bifid lobes separated by a deep incision; labellum sub-3-angular or suborbicular, without appendages. Column little exserted, 2-3 mm long. Capsule linear, 10-22 mm long.
In New Guinea it was found on a sandy ridge in the shadow of grass, and on damp savannah ridges, 0-30 m, growing luxuriantly, in Celebes on roadsides and rice-fields up to 950 m.
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