Glabrous perennial to 30 cm high, with a thick tap-root merging into a swollen succulent tuberculate stem to 8 cm high and 4 cm thick, the tubercles usually coloured purple; branches radiating from the apex, succulent, tuberculate or smooth, to 1 cm thick. Leaves linear-lanceolate, 2–5 x 0.3–1 cm; petiole 5–10 mm long; stipules filamentous, deciduous. Cymes clustered 2–6 at the branch apices on peduncles 3–6 cm long, forking several times, often trichotomously, with rays 1–4 cm long; bracts similar to the leaves but smaller, the upper ones ovate. Cyathia 2.5 mm in diam.; glands 2, the outer margin crenulate, the lateral margins curled inwards and joined at the base to form an erect tube 2.5 mm long and slightly longer than the deeply toothed lobes. Styles 2.7 mm long, joined almost to the minutely bifid apices. Capsule exserted on a pedicel 5–9 mm long, deeply 3-lobed, 4.5 x 6 mm. Seeds conical with acute apex, obtusely 4-angled with 2 shallow horizontal constrictions, 3 x 2.5 mm, surface roughened, brown.