Shrub up to c. 2 m tall. Bark light fawn, becoming moderately rough and furrowed on old branches and trunk. Branchlets diverging at a wide angle, slender, fawn-brown to orange-brown or dark brown, quadrangular, glabrous; internodes of long shoots (2-)3(-3.5) cm long. Short shoots opposite and decussate, each bearing up to about 12 leaves and/ or 1-3 capitula when young; older short shoots leafless, rough with closely ranked leaf scars. Leaves opposite or in opposite fascicles, linear-oblanceolate to narrowly oblanceolate, c. 8-12 × 1-2 mm; upper surface of lamina mid-green, somewhat shiny, with abundant fine appressed hairs when young, glabrescent with age, markedly bullate; margins strongly revolute almost to midrib at least when young, opening a little when mature to reveal lower surface clad in dense silvery white tomentum; midrib deeply sunken above, prominently raised throughout length beneath, greenish or brownish, hairy; apex obtuse, with a small brown to red-brown apiculus often nestled in a tuft of white hairs; base of lamina tapering gradually to petiole; petiole densely hairy with fine, white, mostly appressed hairs above and beneath. Capitula c. 6-9 mm long, scented. Peduncle c. 1-4 mm long, soft, flexible, hairy, with thin brown bracts at base c. 1-1.5 mm long, shorter peduncles ebracteate above; longer peduncles with 1(-2) pairs of leaf-like, opposite or single, oblanceolate bracts up to 5 or 6 mm long. Involucre cylindric to narrowly ovoid; involucral bracts spiralled, in three series, light green, hairy, with very hairy white margins and densely hairy apex bearing white crisped hairs. Florets c. 9-10 per capitulum, outer 5-7 florets pistillate, ligulate with deflexed white limb c. 2.5 mm long and white to cream stigma; inner few florets hermaphrodite, eligulate, with orange-yellow anthers and dark reddish purple papillose stigma. Achenes papillose-pubescent to nearly glabrous; pappus hairs greyish white, about 3.5 mm long.

Shrub up to c. 4 m tall, with ± interlacing, crooked branchlets. Bark fawn-brown, becoming moderately rough and furrowed on older branches and trunk. Branchlets diverging at a wide angle, often around 70-90°, dark red-brown to greyish brown, pubescent at growing tips but the hairs soon shed, decussately 2-angled, tbe longitudinal ridges sometimes retaining hairs but eventually becoming glabrous; intemodes of long shoots c. 1-2(-3) cm long. Short shoots opposite and decussate, each bearing 2-4 leaves and/or 1-5 capitula; older short shoots rough with closely packed leaf bases. Leaves opposite or in opposite fascicles, elliptic to suborbicular or broadly obovate to broadly spathulate; lamina c. 4 - 8(-10) × 3-6(-7) mm, upper surface bright glossy green when fresh, ± glabrous, smooth and flat, midrib above pale and not raised; main veins obscure; margins red or red-brown; lower surface silvery white with dense appressed tomentum, midrib beneath brownish and raised in proximal half, becoming obscure distally; apex obtuse, with a minute, brownish apiculus; base of lamina tapering abruptly to petiole. Petiole reddish, narrow-cuneately winged, c. (0.5—)1.5—3(—4) mm long with appressed tomentum beneath, glabrous or with sparse subappressed hairs above. Juvenile leaves similar but with a few darkened denticles on margins as well as at apex. Capitula in clusters of (1-)2-4(-5) on leafless or leafy short shoots, 6-7 mm long, scented. Peduncle 1-2 mm long, soft and flexible; bracts opposite, ovate, hairy, 1-1.5 mm long. Involucre cylindric to narrowly ovoid; involucral bracts spiralled, in three series, lanceolate to linear, bright green, the outer ones with a patch of silvery appressed tomentum near apex, inner glabrous; margins broad, red, fimbriate near apex of innermost involucral bracts, otherwise entire. Florets 4-5 per capitulum, outer 2-3 florets pistillate, with a very short erect or deflexed creamy white limb 0.8 mm long and yellowish stigma; inner 1-2 florets hermaphrodite, eligulate, with golden yellow anthers and dark reddish purple papillose stigma. Achenes narrowcylindric to narrow-obconic, brown with 4 pale ribs, sparsely hairy in distal quarter, 1.7-2 mm long; pappus hairs greyish white, slightly wavy, 2.5-3 mm long. Chromosome number 2n = 108 (E. J. Beuzenberg, pers. comm.), voucher: CHR 102491. FL: Oct. FR: Dec.

Frutex usque ad 4 m altus; ramuli ad angulum (60-)75- 80(-90)° patentes; folia c. 4-8(-10) × 3-6(-7) mm; a speciebus aliis parvifoliis distinguendus ramulis decussate biangularibus non quadrangularibus, foliis suborbicularibus in superficie viridibus politis Claris, foliisque juvenalibus apiculatis.