Suffrutescent herbs up to 50 cm. high; stems erect or ascending, subhexagonal, moderately branched, hirtellous, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long, retrorsely curved; leaf blades (only the uppermost present) ovate, up to 2.5 cm. long and 1.5 cm. wide at 1 cm. above base, acuminate (the tip itself obtuse), obtuse or rounded at base, entire or undulate, both surfaces hirtellous, the lower densely so, the costa and lateral nerves (4 or 5 pairs) rather prominent; petioles up to 3.5 mm. long, densely hirtellous with small curved hairs; capitula axillary and terminal, the uppermost aggregated to form a spikelike thyrse up to 4 cm. long and 3 cm. broad, the peduncles up to 2 mm. long, densely hirtellous with retrorsely curved hairs about 0.25 mm. long; bracts subtending the cymes subulate, up to 5 mm. long and 1 mm. wide at base, carinate, pilosulous and ciliate, the margins whitish; larger outer bract subtending the cymule narrowly obovate, 12 mm. long, 4 mm. wide at 4 mm. below tip, subobtuse and apiculate, gradually narrowed from above middle to base, green or the narrow marginal areas near base whitish, the basal portion (about 4 mm. long) carinate, both surfaces rather densely hirtellous, the hairs spreading or ascend- ing, the costa prominent, the lateral nerves obscure; smaller outer bract subtending the cymule linear-lanceolate, 1 cm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, acuminate at tip, narrowed at base, the costa prominent, the pubescence that of the larger outer bract, a narrow marginal basal area whitish; innermost bracts narrowly lanceolate, 6 to 7 mm. long, 1 mm. wide near base, acuminate, ciliate, whitish or the costa greenish, both surfaces hirtellous, the hairs about 0.25 mm. long; calyx 4 mm. long, the segments narrowly lanceolate, 3 mm. long, 0.75 mm. wide at base, acute, minutely ciliolate and puberulous, whitish, the marginal hairs up to 250μ long, straight, ascending, sharp-pointed, the surface hairs 125 long, erect, blunt at tip corolla; bright red, finely pubescent, 2.5 cm. long, the tube about 1 mm. broad at base, 4.5 mm. broad at mouth, the lips suberect and subequal, about 9 mm. long, the upper lip 3.5 mm. broad at base, subobtuse at tip, the lower lip 5 mm.