Suffrutex with up to 7 basically unbranched stems, 20–90(120) cm tall, from the crowns of a fairly stout rhizome; stems brown glabrous, or very sparsely pubescent to densely hairy, mostly 3–4-angled.Leaves in whorls of 3–5(6), drying distinctly discolorous; blades 4–11 × 1.5–4.8 cm, broadly elliptic to narrowly oblong-elliptic, acuminate to a fine point at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, glabrous to pubescent, paler and often glaucous beneath, the actual surface (when viewed under high magnification) with a distinct appearance due to denseness of the stomata, the main nerves often rather crinkly and undulate (perhaps due to slight fleshiness of leaf in life), the leaf upper surface slightly bullate above in some specimens; petioles 1–2.5 mm long; stipules connate at the base, the base 3–5 mm long, triangular, pubescent within, prolonged into a subulate appendage (2)4–10 mm long.Inflorescences 3–9-flowered; peduncles 2–5(16) mm long; pedicels 1.5–5 mm long; bracts and bracteoles 3–4 mm long, subulate.Calyx tube 1.3–1.5 mm long, often wrinkled when dry; limb with tubular part 0.5–1 mm long, bearing narrowly triangular teeth 1.5–3.5 mm long.Corolla apiculate in bud; greenish-yellow or honey-coloured, glabrous to ± pubescent outside; tube 2.5–4 mm long, densely hairy at the throat and with a row of deflexed hairs inside; lobes oblong-triangular, apiculate at the apex, 3.5–5(7) mm long.Style exserted for up to 1 mm; pollen presenter coroniform, up to 1.5 mm long, ribbed and 3–4-lobed.Ovary 3–4-locular.Fruit 6–7 mm long, subglobose or oblique, usually with 3 pyrenes but sometimes reduced to 1 by abortion.
