A biennial or perennial succulent herb with a tuberous root and a basal rosette of leaves up to 10 cm. in diameter, sometimes very dense and ± persisting at flowering time. Stem up to 60(80) cm. high, leafy below, floriferous above, usually solitary, rarely 2-3 per root, simple, rarely with some slender short to ± long branches at the median cauline nodes or at the lower floral ones, terete, firm, slender to ± thick (up to 8(11) mm. in diameter at the base), whitish, greyish or fulvous-papillose-pilose (the hairs up to 0·75 mm. long, patent or subretrorse, ± dense, obtuse or acute, sometimes very short and bubble-like). Rosulate leaves ± dense, all spreading or the uppermost erect, up to 5(7) x 3·5 cm., obovate-spathulate to broadly obovate, ovate or suborbicular or oblong to oblanceolate or lanceolate, rounded, obtuse or acute at the apex, entire and pectinate-ciliate at the margin (the cilia up to 1 mm. long, retrorse, acute, rigid, whitish), sessile and somewhat connate at the base, flat, fleshy and green when fresh, firm and ± dark on drying, glabrous or ± densely to sparsely papillose-hairy on both faces or only on the lower one (sometimes glabrous leaves and hairy ones occur in different plants of the same gathering); lower cauline leaves similar to the uppermost basal ones but smaller and less obtuse or more acute, ± approximate to ± distant, subpatent to suberect, the median ones passing gradually into the leafy bracts; lower cauline internodes up to 6·5 cm. long, the following shortening successively into the floral ones. Flowers 5-merous in numerous (up to 34) verticillasters in the axils of opposite leafy bracts, forming a ± long, usually narrow, sometimes up to 4-3 cm. in diam., spike-like inflorescence, interrupted below, nearly continuous towards the apex; lower floral internodes up to 4 cm. long; individual cymes usually very condensed and subcapitate, up to 2·5 cm. in diameter, shortly pedunculate (apparently sessile); bracts similar to the upper cauline leaves, but shorter and relatively broader, the lower ones shorter or longer than the cymes, the others shorter, ± densely to sparsely papillose at least towards the base on the underside or glabrous everywhere; pedicels up to 3·5(4) mm. long, papillose-hairy or glabrous. Calyx (1·5)2-4(4·5) mm. long; sepals ovate-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, not to ± attenuate, acute, erect or slightly spreading, ciliate at the margin, connate for ± 0·75 mm. at base, usually hispidulous all over the dorsal surface or only along the median line, rarely completely glabrous, purplish. Corolla 2·25-4 mm. long, white or reddish; petals erect and subconnivent, ovate-oblong to oblong-elliptic or oblong, obtuse or sometimes subacute, with slightly inflexed apex, dorsally mucronate at the inflexion (the mucro ± up to 0·5 mm. long, conical, solid, acute or obtuse), smooth or ciliate at the margins, connate at the base, minutely tuberculate-scabrid (including the mucro) on the outer surface towards the apex. Filaments 0·75-2 mm. long; anthers ± 0·5 mm. to 0·75 mm. long, oblong-ovate. Follicles 1-1·5(2) mm. long, obliquely ovate-oblong, contracted into the very short or almost absent styles; stigmas thick, subsessile, lateral (at least at maturity). Scales up to 0·5 mm. long, as long as to shorter than broad, cuneate-spathulate to subrectangular, truncate or slightly emarginate, narrowly thickened at the upper margin. Seeds minutely tuberculate.
