An erect branched rather rigid under-shrub, perhaps the largest-flowered species of the genus, drying black; stem up to 4 ft. high, terete, often glaucous, sparingly pubescent in places and densely bifariously pubescent in others or glabrescent, scabrid here and there with the much-thickened bases of small hairs; branches erect-spreading, slender, opposite or subopposite, glaucous, quite glabrous or sparingly covered with short fine hairs thickened at the base. Leaves opposite or subopposite, distant, lanceolate or oblanceolate, up to 1 3/4 in. long and 4 1/2 lin. broad, narrowed to the base, very slightly narrowed at the apex, minutely apiculate, entire, covered with stiff adpressed hairs on both sides, often with a tuft of smaller leaves in their axils. Spikes or racemes interrupted, terminal, up to 9 in. long; flowers mostly in pairs 1/2– 3/4 in. apart, shortly pedicellate; bracts ovate-lanceolate, about 3 lin. long, 1 lin. broad at the base, shortly acuminate, thinly covered with short stiff hairs on the upper side, sparingly ciliate; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, 2–2 1/4 lin. long. Calyx 5 1/2 lin. long, 1 1/2 lin. broad above, slightly narrower below, somewhat curved, glabrous outside, covered with short stiff adpressed hairs on the upper part inside, 10-ribbed; teeth 5, ovate-lanceolate, 1 2/3 lin. long, sparingly ciliate, shortly acuminate, the uppermost slightly narrower than the others. Corolla white, funnel-shaped; tube 8 lin. long, 1 lin. broad, straight or slightly curved, glabrous outside, long-pilose at the throat inside; lobes nearly equal, suborbicular, 5 lin. in diam., overlapping at the margin. Anthers acuminate. Style 1 1/4 lin. long, much thickened in the upper part. Capsule ellipsoid or oblong, 4 lin. long, nearly 2 lin. broad at the base, slightly narrower above, slightly curved, very shortly apiculate.
