A much-branched shrub 0.45–4.5 m. tall, with dense heath-like foliage, the whorls of leaves running together at the apices of the shoots; stems covered with dense spreading short grey hairs when young, but later glabrescent or sometimes ± persistently hairy, the often reddish epidermis peeling off. Leaves opposite or verticillate in whorls of 4–6 and also pseudo-verticillate due to short undeveloped shoots, forming sometimes big subglobose fasciculate clusters; blades narrowly oblong-elliptic to linear-lanceolate, 0.2–1.5(–3.5) cm. long, 2–5 mm. wide, but often appearing narrow (± 0.5 mm. wide) due to strong revolution of the margins, apiculate at the apex, narrowed to the base, glabrous, sparsely ciliate or hairy on midrib beneath; stipules with (1–)3–5(–7) setae 0.6–3(–5) mm. long from a base 1 mm. long; petioles obsolete. Flowers in sessile axillary clusters, unisexual and dioecious. Calyx-tube conic, 0.8 mm. long, lobes in ♀ flowers 2 small and 2 larger, 0.2–0.5 mm. long. Corolla greenish white or yellowish, often tinged maroon in bud or entirely pinkish in ♀ flowers; in ♂ flowers tube 0.8 mm. long, lobes elliptic, 2.7 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; in ♀ flowers much reduced, the tube 0.4 mm. long with firmer midpetaline areas and the lobes short, oblong, 0.2 mm. long. Stamens with filaments ± 1 mm. long, the anthers well exserted, absent in ♀ flowers. Styles cream, feathery, 4.5–6.5 mm. long, joined for ± 0.5–2.7 mm. of their length. Fruits oblong-ellipsoid, 1.5–2 mm. long, 0.7–1 mm. wide, crowned with the small calyx-lobes.