Shrub or tree 0.4– 12 m high, branched, the branches erect, to 5 mm thick; branchlets densely leafy, sparsely to densely puberulous with simple and often glandular hairs, glabrescent. Leaves in whorls of 3 [of 4 according to Engler but I have not found that condition], porrect or spreading, fleshy, convex beneath, linear, 1– 7(– 10) mm long, 0.4– 1.4 mm wide, margin densely ciliolate with minute hairs or denticulate with glands (sometimes stalked) or hyaline teeth, or margin glabrous, apex obtuse, sulcate beneath, glabrous, often shiny with resin exudate; petiole 0.5– 1.7 mm long, glabrous or with some marginal hairs. Flowers in clusters of 4– 12 at branch ends, 4-merous; pedicels red or pink, 1.5– 5.5 mm long, glabrous or with few small hairs, with the single bract sometimes just below calyx and leaf-like (in peripheral flowers), sometimes (in central flowers) near the calyx and resembling the sepals. Calyx (apparent calyx; some lobes are really recaulescent bracteoles) with 4 lobes, 3 (in elgonensis 4) connate for 20– 30%, ovate or triangular, 0.8– 1.4 mm long, 0.7– 1 mm wide, obtuse to acute, the 4th free (in elgonensis this is the bract) and either closely against the other lobes or inserted up to 0.7 mm below the other lobes, narrowly ovate or elongate-triangular with narrow green apex, 1.5– 3 mm long, 1– 1.1 mm wide; all lobes ciliolate or slightly fimbriate. Corolla pink, red or white, shortly campanulate with 4 lobes, 1.4– 2.6 mm long, 1.6– 2.8 mm in diameter, widest at the mouth, lobes 0.4– 1.3 mm long, rounded, glabrous. Stamens 7– 8, filaments 1.2 mm long, anthers obovate, 0.7– 1.2 mm long, bilobed, connate when young, free later. Ovary subglobose, ± 1 mm, glabrous; style 1– 2.5 mm long; stigma purple, peltate, circular or slightly lobed, 0.6– 1.8 mm in diameter, with 4– 5 raised lines near the centre above. Fruit brownish, subglobose, 1.3– 1.4 mm, glabrous.
