Stems simple or sparingly branched, stout, arcuate, then erect, woody at base, green to red, up to ± 6 dm. tall, bifariously pubescent when young. Lvs opp., except in floral region, crowded, overlapping, ascending, sessile. Lamina narrow-oblong to broad-ovate or elliptic, 20-30-(40) × 8-14 mm., subcoriac., glab.; margins closely, rather finely, irregularly denticulate. Fls 4-5 mm. diam., in some forms 10-12 mm.; calyx ± = petals, lobes ovate-lanceolate, ± pubescent; petals pink, obovate, emarginate. Capsules (25)-40-60-(65) mm. long, hoary; peduncles 10-15 mm. long. Seeds minutely papillose.

n = 18

Erect herb 15-95 cm tall, with numerous leafy stolons from base, strigillose; the infl. often densely strigillose, and often also with erect glandular or eglandular hairs. Stems hairy all round or only along elevated lines running down from the subsessile lvs. Lamina of lf linear to ovate, 0.5-4 × 0.15-1.8 cm. Floral tube 0.6-1.8 mm deep, usually with a conspicuous ring of long hairs inside. Petals rose-purple or white, 3.5-13.5 × 2-7 mm. Capsule moderately to densely strigillose, often also glandular, 3-7.5 cm long; fruiting pedicel 0.6-2 cm long.