Small shrub to small tree, 1.5 – 5 (-6) m high, with grey cracking bark and branches arching or weeping, silky hairy twigs. Leaves sessile, linear-lanceolate, (2.5-) 3 – 6 (-7) x 0.5 – 1 cm, silky hairy when young, glabrous on maturity, basally attenuate, punctuate glandular, subadpressed to stem. Spike, 5 – 15 (-20) cm long, beset with dense, patent white hairs, growing beyond into a leafy shoot. Bracts white, hairy, linear to linear oblong, caducous. Flowers axillary, bright red. Calyx tube urceolate, angular, densely white-hairy, c. 5 mm long, with deltoid – ovate, obtuse, centrally gland-dotted teeth. Petals ± green oblong-elliptic, 3 – 3.5 x 2 – 2.5 mm, obtuse. Stamen filaments 2.5 – 3 cm long, anthers dark purple. Fruits cupular, light brown, 5 – 6 x 4 – 5 mm.