2n = 40

2n = 40

Low spreading shrub up to 1 m tall but usually much less. Branches widely angled, spreading, often ascending at tips and then rooting from nodes. Old stems grey-black; branchlets maroonblack, drying black, minutely puberulent when young; internodes 1—11 × stem diameter. Leaf bud without sinus, dark maroon in colour. Leaves lanceolate- elliptic (20-)40-90 × (8—)13—18(—22) mm, maroon-green or dark-green; glabrous except for sparse minute eglandular hairs on the midrib and lamina; apex acute or acuminate, acumen (2-)6— 10 mm; base cuneate; margin entire, greenish-maroon or maroon. Inflorescences lateral, racemose, 5—7(—11) cm long; flowers crowded, shortly pedicellate, tightly spiralled and drooping toward raceme apex. Peduncle and rachis maroon-black, covered in sparse white strigose, eglandular hairs; peduncle 4— 9 cm long. Bracts linear-elliptic, acute, ciliolate, usually equal or slightly longer than pedicels. Pedicels spreading, sparsely covered in white strigose hairs, 2-4 mm long. Flowers faintly sweetscented. Calyx lobes ovate, subacute, overlapping at edges 1.5—3 mm long; glabrous except for basal covering of sparse white eglandular hairs; margin more or less alternating glandular-eglandular ciliolate. Corolla white tinged purple, fading to white after anthesis; tube 2-4 mm long, narrow, inner surface puberulent; lobes suberect, ovate to lanceolate, acute, 2-4 × 2-3 mm. Anthers purple, acute, 2.5 mm long; filaments purple, fading white, 6-8 mm long, curving outwards after dehiscence. Nectarial disk glabrous, fleshy, maroon-green. Style purple, glabrous, 6—8 mm long; stigma capitate. Ovary cylindrical, minutely puberulent. Capsule ovate, acute, dark maroon-brown, 3-4.5 × 2.5-4 mm, apex minutely puberulent, septicidal to base. Seeds honeybrown, circular, smooth with conspicuous marginal wing, 0.75-1 mm diameter. Chromosome number 2n = 40 (CHR 462362, slide no. 21928). FL Mar- Aug, however sporadic flowering may be noted at any time of the year.