Annual or short-lived perennial herb.. Stem 0.5–1 m, erect, branched or unbranched, stem angles smooth.. Leaves sessile, ovate, 2.5–4 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm wide, acute, amplexicaul or cordate at base.. Inflorescences cymose, few-to many-flowered; pedicels 10–20 mm long, pedicel of terminal flower in a cymule always longer than those of lateral flowers.. Flowers 5-merous.. Calyx lobes ovate or ovate-lanceolate, ± divided to the base, 6–7 mm long, 2–2.5 mm wide, acute to acuminate.. Corolla deep mauve or lilac; tube very short, 1–1.5 mm long; lobes oblong, 12–13.5 mm long, 3–3.5 mm wide, acute; nectary 1 per lobe, ± obovate or circular, 1.3–1.5 mm diameter, 1.8–± 2 mm from base of corolla lobes, margin fimbriate, fimbriae 1.9–2.7 mm long, ± 0.2–0.4 mm wide at the base, with scale-like projections arising all over the surface.. Stamens with filaments 5.2–5.4 mm long, with scale-like projections arising at their point of attachment to the corolla lobes; anthers oblong, 1.2–1.3 mm long.. Ovary ovoid to narrowly ovoid, 4–4.5 mm long, 1.8–2 mm diameter; style 0.6–0.7 mm long; stigma bilobed, lobes sub-rotund, 0.3–0.5 mm long, 0.3–0.4 mm wide, subobtuse.. Capsule ovoid, 7–15 mm long, 5–8 mm diameter; seeds numerous, brown, ± elongated in outline, 1–1.6 mm long; surface with broken striae or interrupted ridge-like outgrowths.. Fig. 16 (p. 62).