Rather robust annual or perennial herb; branches prostrate or suberect, often woody at the base, up to 35 cm. long and 5 mm. in diam. Leaves alternate, up to 2·5 × 0·3 cm., linear, subcylindric, glaucous, crowded towards the ends of the branches, sessile or almost sessile, apex acute or obtuse, sometimes purplish towards the apex, longer than the internodes; stipular hairs few, not conspicuous, up to 3 mm. long. Flowers in terminal clusters of 2–6 or rarely solitary, surrounded by a terminal cluster of subverticillate leaves and dense tufts of axillary hairs; bracts whitish, often with purple tips, membranous, ovate, long-acuminate. Sepals c. 3 mm. long, ovate-acuminate, often pinkish. Petals yellow or orange (or sometimes pink-tinged?), almost free, up to 8 mm. long, lanceolate-ovate, apex emarginate or refuse. Stamens 8–13. Ovary ovoid; style simple with 4 recurved stigmas. Capsule c. 5 mm. long, ovoid, enclosed in the marcescent corolla, transversely dehiscent below the middle, tipped by the persistent style base. Seeds numerous, c. 0·5 mm. in diam., subreniform, black to dark grey, covered with concentric rings of minute impressed stelliform tubercles.