Subshrub, 3–20 cm tall. Old stems brown. Branches decumbent to ascending. Branchlets red-brown or purplish. Vegetative internodes 1–4 mm long. Stem pubescence uniform, eglandular pubescent and glandular pubescent. Leaves decussate, erecto-patent to spreading. Lamina obovate to spathulate, (4.5–)6–13 × (2.5–)4.5– 6 mm. Adaxial surface of leaves dark green or purple, dull. Abaxial surface of leaves dark green or purple, dull. Leaf hairs scattered to numerous, along margins or on all parts of leaf (sometimes), uniseriate eglandular and uniseriate glandular with globular head. Apex rounded or truncate. Base cuneate. Margin ciliate and glandular-ciliate, rarely entire or crenate. Marginal teeth or lobes in 1(–2) pairs. Petiole 1–3 mm long. Inflorescence a solitary bibracteolate flower or a pair of flowers, 1–2.5 cm long at fruiting. Indumentum of peduncle, rachis, and pedicels moderately dense to very dense. Eglandular hairs of inflorescence patent, white or colourless. Peduncle 0.5–1.5 cm long, eglandular-pubescent and glandular- pubescent; hairs all around peduncle. Bracts paired and opposite, obtuse, eglandular-hairy abaxially, ciliate with both glandular and eglandular hairs, and glandular pubescent abaxially, linear or spathulate. Bract margins entire. Pedicels erectopatent at anthesis to suberect at anthesis, straight at fruiting, 2.5–5 mm long, eglandular-pubescent and glandular-pubescent; hairs all around pedicel. Flowers: Calyx 4-lobed, 6.5–10 mm long. Calyx lobes spathulate, subacute to obtuse. Calyx hairs on both abaxial and adaxial surfaces, mixed eglandular and glandular (adaxial glandular hairs few). Calyx lobe margins entire. Corolla white at anthesis. Nectar guides absent. Corolla throat same colour as lobes. Corolla 18–22 (–25) mm diam. Corolla tube 2.5– 4.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, glabrous. Corolla lobes glabrous. Posterior corolla lobe circular or obovate, obtuse, 10–12 × 10–12 mm. Lateral corolla lobes circular, obtuse, flat, not enfolding stamens, 10–13 × 8–11 mm. Anterior corolla lobe circular or obovate, obtuse, 9–12 × 10–12 mm. Stamen filaments white, 3–4 mm long, not narrowed at base. Anthers magenta or purple, 1.2–1.5 mm long. Nectarial disc glabrous. Ovary ovoid, acute or subacute, eglandular hairy and glandular hairy (at apex), 2–2.5 mm long. Style 3.5–4.5 mm long. Stigma 0.4–0.6 mm wide. Capsules hygrochastic, narrowly angustiseptate (i.e., strongly flattened), emarginate, 4–5 × 4–5 mm, 1–2 mm thick, hairy. Hairs eglandular and glandular. Septicidal split of capsule extending 1⁄2 way to base to to base. Loculicidal split of capsule extending to base. Seeds not known, ellipsoid, straw yellow or pale brown, 0.9–1 × 0.5–0.7 mm.

Parahebe spectabilis Garn.-Jones, sp. nov., affinis P. birleyi, foliis trilobatis, ciliis saepe glandulosis, pedicellis longioribus, calycibus longioribus, corollis grandioribus differt.