Suffrutex 20–60 cm tall with several stems from a woody rootstock, or less often a small tree 1.5 m tall; stems unbranched or branched, velvety-pubescent.Leaves in whorls of 3–4, very discolorous; blades 2–12 × 1.2–6 cm, elliptic or oblong, rounded to acute at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, finely densely pubescent to velvety above not obscuring the upper surface, softly grey-velvety beneath, the indumentum totally obscuring the lower surface, or in one variety the velvety indumentum soon disappearing, the leaves finally sparsely to densely pubescent or with hairs only on the venation beneath; venation raised beneath; petioles 0–6 mm long; stipule bases tomentose, 1–1.5 mm long, triangular, with a subulate appendage 3–10 mm long.Cymes 3–7-flowered, congested, the common peduncle suppressed or up to c. 1.5–4 mm long; pedicels 2–4 mm long; bracts 1–2 mm long, oblong.Calyx pubescent; tube 1–2 mm long, subglobose; limb scarcely 1 mm long, the teeth narrowly triangular, c. 1 mm long.Corolla acuminate, tailed in bud; tube cream-greenish or yellow, 4–7 mm long, cylindrical or narrowly funnel shaped, ± densely spreading bristly-pubescent outside, with a ring of deflexed hairs inside; lobes yellow or bright orange, 3.5–4.5 × 1.5 mm, lanceolate, shortly appendaged, the appendage scarcely 1 mm long.Anthers dark red.Ovary 3–5-locular.Style 5.5–8 mm long; pollen presenter 0.75–1.25 mm long, coroniform, sulcate, 3–5-lobulate.Fruit black, 5–9 × 8–12 mm, subglobose, distinctly lobed when dry, usually with (1)3–4 pyrenes 5–8 mm long.
