2n = c. 42

Subshrub, 35(–50) cm tall. Old stems grey (pale). Branches decumbent to ascending. Branchlets brown or black or purplish. Vegetative internodes 10–30(–60) mm long. Stem pubescence bifarious or uniform (usually uniform with denser bifarious bands, rarely almost glabrous), eglandular pubescent. Leaves decussate, erecto-patent to spreading. Lamina lanceolate or oblanceolate or ovate or elliptic, (20–)30–40(–80) × 10–18(–25) mm. Adaxial surface of leaves green or dark green, dull. Abaxial surface of leaves pale green or pinkish or whitish, dull. Leaf hairs numerous or sparse or absent (rarely), on adaxial surface and on abaxial surface, uniseriate eglandular. Apex acute to subacute. Base cuneate. Margin pubescent or glabrous (rarely), serrate. Marginal teeth or lobes in (3–)5–8(–13) pairs. Petiole 3–7 mm long. Inflorescence racemose, unbranched, 10–25 cm long at fruiting, with (10–) 14–20 flowers (NB: for reproductive characters only a few specimens sampled). Indumentum of peduncle, rachis, and pedicels sparse to moderately dense. Eglandular hairs of inflorescence patent, white or colourless. Peduncle 4–7 cm long, eglandular-pubescent; hairs all around peduncle. Rachis 7–10 cm long, eglandular-pubescent or glabrous (rarely), hairs all around rachis. Bracts alternate (spiralled), subacute to acuminate, eglandular-hairy abaxially and eglandular-hairy adaxially (at apex only), lanceolate. Bract margins entire. Pedicels erecto-patent at anthesis, incurved at fruiting, (8–)10–17(–21) mm long, eglandular-pubescent; hairs all around pedicel. Flowers: Calyx 4-lobed, 4–5 mm long. Calyx lobes linear to lanceolate, acute. Calyx hairs on both abaxial and adaxial surfaces, eglandular. Calyx lobe margins entire. Corolla white at anthesis. Nectar guides obscure or absent, confined to posterior corolla lobe if present. Colour ring and nectar guides magenta. Corolla throat yellow or greenish. Corolla 10–12 mm diam. Corolla tube 1–2 mm long, 1– 1.5 mm wide, hairy inside, hairs short. Corolla lobes glabrous. Posterior corolla lobe circular, obtuse or emarginate, 5 × 5 mm. Lateral corolla lobes circular, obtuse, longitudinally folded around stamens, 4.5–5 × 6–6.5 mm. Anterior corolla lobe elliptic to oblong, obtuse, 4–5 × 3–3.5 mm. Stamen filaments white, 4 mm long, narrowed at base. Anthers white, 1 mm long. Nectarial disc ciliate. Ovary ellipsoid, emarginate, eglandular hairy, 1–1.5 mm long. Style 3–4.5 mm long. Stigma 0.4 mm wide. Capsules xerochastic, broadly angustiseptate (i.e., weakly flattened), truncate to emarginate, (2–)3–4 × (2.5–)3– 3.5 mm, 1.8–2 mm thick, glabrous or hairy. Hairs eglandular, if present. Septicidal split of capsule extending to base. Loculicidal split of capsule extending 1⁄3–1⁄2 way to base. Seeds usually 15–30 per locule, strongly flattened, smooth-surfaced, obovoid, pale brown, (0.5–)0.6–0.8 × 0.6 mm.

Parahebe senex Garn.-Jones, sp. nov., P. lanceolato proxima autem habitu grandi; caulibus crassis; foliis interdum grandissimis (usque ad 80 ¥ 25 mm), laminis plerumque pilosis raro glabris; pedunculis uniformiter pilosis; calycibus et bracteis pilosis; nervis corollarum pallidioribus; antheris albis; ovariis et capsulis pilosis differt.