Erect herb or subshrubby herb, 0.3–0.6 m. tall, with shortly adpressed hairy stems. Leaf-blades lanceolate or narrowly rhomboid, 2.5–6.5(–8.5) cm. long, 0.7–2.3 cm. wide, ± acute at the apex, narrowly cuneate at the base, shortly hairy above and with longer adpressed bristly hairs beneath; petiole obsolete or up to 8 mm. long; stipules with 1–3 flat segments 1.5–3 mm. long. Inflorescence capitate at first but soon becoming a spike 5–32 cm. long, with flowers rather widely spaced at the base; peduncles 4.5–10 cm. long; flowers dimorphic. Calyx-tube blackish, 1–2 mm. long, glabrous or bristly; larger lobes linear, 0.5–1.5 cm. long, 0.5–1.3 mm. wide. Corolla-tube white, reddish or pink, 1.8–3.2 cm. long, dilated at the apex in long-styled flowers to 1.2–2.25 mm. for a distance of 4–5.5 mm.; lobes cream, pink or yellowish to greenish flesh-coloured, with a crimson or purple pubescent eye, narrowly to broadly elliptic, 0.5–1 cm. long, 2–5.5 mm. wide, slightly connate at the base; style exserted 1–2.5 mm., stigma-lobes 1–2 mm. long; corolla-tube in short-styled flowers gradually widened at the apex. Fruit obtriangular-oblong, ribbed, 3.5–6 mm. long, 2.5–4.5 mm. wide, pubescent. Fig. 24, p. 216.