Apparently glabrous aquatic with all submerged parts covered with a profuse clear slimy jelly-like mucilage; the outsides of the sepals and petals, the undersurfaces of the leaves, submerged petioles, pedicels, etc., are covered with minute purplish glandular hairs which may secrete this mucilage. Leaf-blades round or broadly elliptic, 2.5–11.5 cm. long, 1.5–7 cm. wide, entire, green above, usually reddish-brown or purplish beneath with 12 nerves radiating from the centre; petiole-length depending on the depth of the water, 0.05–1 m. long or more, slender, ±1.5 mm. in diameter. Pedicels reddish-brown, 4–5 cm. long, 2 mm. in diameter. Sepals purplish- or brownish- red, elliptic or narrowly oblong, 0.9–1.4 cm. long, 3–6 mm. wide, rounded atthe apex. Petals crimson, purplish- or brownish-red, narrowly oblong or linear-oblong, 1.2–1.7 cm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, narrowly rounded at the apex. Filaments of the stamens filiform, 1 cm. long, papillose; anthers reddish, linear-oblong, 3.5 mm. long, apiculate. Carpels fusiform or narrowly ovoid, 5 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, sparsely papillose; stigma simple, 3–4.5 mm. long, papillose all over save for a narrow longitudinal area facing the perianth. Fruiting carpels ellipsoid or fusiform, 0.6–1 cm. long, 2–2.5 mm. wide; stigma persistent. Seeds pale brown, ellipsoid, 2.7–3.5 mm. long, 2–2.3 mm. wide.
