Small, much branched, monoecious perennial subshrub up to 0.8–1 × 0.8 m. Rootstock stout, woody. Stems somewhat succulent at first, ribbed, becoming basally woody with age, densely covered in velutinous, appressed hairs. Leaves opposite, densely clustered toward branch tips 40–50 × 25–30 mm, spreading to decurved, mostly broadly ovate, ovate-orbicular or elliptic; apex blunt to abruptly sub acute, sometimes very shortly apiculate; base attenuate; lamina somewhat fleshy, purple-grey, veins often purple, abaxial and adaxial surfaces silky canescent, margins crenulate to crenate. Petioles 5– 10 mm long, pink, fleshy, velutinous, basal abscission zone present. Inflorescence a terminal erect spike, 150–200 mm long; peduncle 15 mm long, fleshy, white-villous; spike rachis fleshy, white-villous to purple-villous; flowers bisexual, retrorse, sessile, c. 180–200 per spike, these spaced initially at 10-mm intervals along rachis, diminishing rapidly to <1-mm intervals toward inflorescence apex. Bract persistent on rachis, ovate to lanceolate 3–3.5 × 0.5– 1 mm, strongly retrorse, chartaceous, weakly keeled near apex only, pale white, margins entire, apex acute, sometimes with a small, 0.1–0.2-mm-long pale yellow mucro. Bracteoles 2; abscissing with senescent flowers; broadly ovate, 0.2–1 mm long, chartaceous hyaline, lustrous, pale caramel; margins entire; strongly keeled, keel lustrous, caramel brown, extending well beyond bract as a hardened, channelled, strongly recurved, falcate spine 4–5 mm long. Perianth segments (sepals) 5, lanceolate, central portion pale caramel-brown but distinctly pinktinged, margins pale yellow or off-white opaque, hyaline; segments sub equal, 4.5–6 mm, channelled. Stamens 4, connate at base, the filaments 0.5–1 mm, alternating with 4 narrowly spathulate, 0.4 × 0.6 mm, white-hyaline, petaloid, fimbriate-margined pseudostaminodes; anthers 0.4–0.6 mm, yellow, bilocular, dehiscing via longitudinal slits; pollen yellow. Style 0.6–1 mm, pink to pale orange, arising from a fleshy papillate style base 0.8 mm diam.; stigma brown, truncate. Utricle 2–2.5 mm long, dark brown, turbinate, chartaceous, surmounted by the dry, somewhat woody, style base. Seed 1.2–1.8 × 0.9–1.2 mm, ovoid to ellipsoid, dark chestnut brown.