stems or branches prostrate, often growing downwards into the ground and then curving upwards or the young shoots commencing to develop underground, acutely 4-angled, 1 1/2–5 in. long, 1/2–1 in. square, with flat or slightly concave sides and broadly deltoid acute teeth 1–1 3/4 lin. long along the angles, having a small (and, with age, prominent) bud in each axil, glabrous, at first glaucous-green, becoming dull green, often tinged or marked with dull purplish, finally greyish; flowers in fascicles of 4–7 on the sides, near the base of the stems, developing successively, erect; pedicels 1/2–1 lin. long, glabrous; sepals about 1 lin. long, lanceolate or ovate-subulate, with very acute recurved tips, glabrous; corolla bud-like, 4 1/2–6 lin. long, 4–5 lin. in diam., broadly ovoid or subglobose, acute or shortly acuminate or apiculate, entirely blackish-purple or very dark purple-brown, glabrous outside, covered with fine hairs and having a “frosted appearance” (Pillans) inside; tube 2–2 1/2 lin. deep, broadly cup-shaped or hemispheric; lobes 3–5 lin. long, 2 1/2 lin. broad, deltoid to ovate-lanceolate, acute, cohering at the tips, with narrow fissures between them in the lower part, not recurved at the margins and not ciliate; outer corona-lobes at the base of the staminal column, minute, not 1/4 lin. long, spreading, broadly ovate or deltoid, subacute, glabrous, dark purple-brown; inner corona-lobes 1 1/3–1 1/2 lin. long, much exceeding and erectly connivent (or sometimes connate at the tips) high above the staminal column, rather thick and fleshy, linear or subulate, obtuse or acute, with a short deltoid-subulate tooth or small thickened crest on the back below the middle, dark purple-brown; staminal column 3/4 lin. long; anthers subquadrate, obtuse, without appendages, incumbent on the outer part of the truncate style-apex. null
