Perennial herb with a tuberous root, erect, c. 20-70 cm, simple to much-branched; stem and branches subterete, striate, moderately or thinly ± appressed-pilose. Leaves narrowly oblanceolate to linear-oblong, 3-8 x 0.3-1 cm, acute to rather blunt and mucronate at the apex, ± long-attenuate at the base, rather thinly appressed-pilose on both surfaces, the pair of leaves subtending the terminal inflorescence sessile, lanceolate-ovate, long-acuminate. Inflorescence sessile above the uppermost pair of leaves, globose, 2-2.5 cm in diameter, sometime finally shortly cylindrical and up to c. 6 cm long; bracts c. 6 cm, narrowly deltoid-ovate, somewhat plicate, mucronate with the shortly excurrent midrib, bracteoles strongly compressed, navicular, c. 10-15 mm, mucronate, with an almost complete crest like that of Gomphrena globosa but generally even wider and more deeply dentate. Tepals similar to those of Gomphrena celosioides but the inner even more strongly sigmoid and indurate below. Staminal tube subequalling the perianth, the 5 teeth very deeply bilobed, the subulate, acute lobes much exserted beyond the c. 1.5 mm anthers and subequalling them in overall length. Style and stigmas together c. 2.25-2.75 mm, the stigmas about twice as long as the style. Capsule c. 2.5 mm, shortly oblong, compressed. Seed ovoid, compressed, c. 1.75 mm, brown, very faintly reticulate, shining.