Small plants with woody stocks; stems branched woody at base, ascending, slender 12-15-(20) cm. long, branches purplish black, wiry, bifariously pubescent. Lvs opp., sts alt. in floral region, rather distant, on very short petioles; lamina oblong, ovate-oblong to oval to obovate on same plant, mucronulate, 3-6 × 2-4 mm., coriac., glab.; margins obscurely denticulate to entire. Fls 3-4 mm. diam.; calyx < petals, ovate-lanceolate; petals obovate, emarginate, white or pinkish. Capsules 12-20 mm. long, purplish black, silvery pubescent on angles; peduncles ± 5-(10) mm. long, very slender. Seeds smooth.

Branches prostrate, radiating from stock, peduncles ± 10-(5) mm. long.

n = 18

n = 18

2n = 36

Tufted herb with wiry stems, branched. Stems black to pale brown, 8-25 cm long, sometimes sprawling, with lines of ± appressed short hairs. Lamina of lf usually broadly elliptic to rotund, rarely elliptic, 2-8 × 1-3 mm. Floral tube 0.4-0.6 mm deep, strigillose outside. Petals white, 2-2.9 × 0.8-1.9 mm. Capsules with conspicuous bands of strigillose hairs along the lines of dehiscence, thus appearing striped light and dark, rarely strigillose all over, 0.9-2.2 cm long; fruiting pedicel 0.2-1.6 cm long.