Subshrub, to 20 cm tall, forming mats up to 1 m diameter. Branches prostrate to decumbent, internodes 1–5.5(–11) mm long. Leaves decussate to subdistichous, connate, petiolate, erecto-patent to patent, bright green; leaf bases connate; lamina obovate to spathulate, elliptic, ovate, or rhomboid, fleshy, (4–)6–11 mm long, (2–)3–8(–9) mm wide; apex obtuse to rounded or slightly retuse; midrib slightly thickened beneath and slightly depressed to grooved above; margin cartilaginous, or rounded or minutely papillate and/or minutely erose, not thickened, glabrous or glandular-ciliate, usually entire or rarely incised, green, or red near shoot apices. Petiole (1–)2–5 mm long, hairy along margins. Inflorescences terminal and lateral, reduced spikes arranged (often somewhat laxly) in a terminal flowering head (0.5–)1–3(–4.3) cm long; lowermost pair of bracts on a spike opposite and connate, or rarely free, then subopposite or alternate above, lanceolate to linear or sometimes deltoid, usually subacute or obtuse, glabrous or minutely ciliolate, and sometimes also sparsely hairy inside; pedicels absent. Flowers on individual plants either hermaphrodite or female. Calyx 4.5–7(–9) mm long, usually linear to linearlanceolate or rarely oblong or deltoid, subacute to obtuse or occasionally acute, minutely ciliolate, glandular hairy inside, margins green or red (at apex). Corolla white; tube (2.5–)4.0–6.0 mm long, shorter than or equalling or sometimes longer than calyx; lobes usually shorter than corolla tube, glabrous; lobes usually ovate to elliptic, subacute to obtuse, patent to recurved (with age), with apex turned slightly upwards. Anthers held at corolla throat, pink, 1–1.9 mm long; sterile anthers white. Ovary glabrous; style 3–8 mm long (on hermaphrodite flowers), or 5–6 mm (on female flowers); stigma no wider than style (usually in hermaphrodite flowers) to subcapitate (usually in female flowers). Capsules acute to subacute, 3.5–4.5(–5.5) mm long, 2–3.5 mm wide, glabrous.