Prostrate or trailing perennial herb to undershrub. Stem woody at base; branches herbaceous, quadrangular, mostly hirsute, scabridulous, rough, angles minutely scabrid; older branches ± glabrous, whitish or grey with thin papery bark peeling off in strips. Leaves mostly opposite, rarely 4 in a whorl, (2-) 5-10 x (0.2-) 0.3-0.5 (-0.8) cm, linear, sessile, margin entire, thickened and scabrid, apex acuminate, surface hirsute or scabridulous. Inflorescence axillary and terminal of few flowered cymes; peduncle up to 1 cm long. Flowers greenish yellow, 2.5-6 mm long, bracts linear-narrowly elliptic, acute, hirsute; pedicel 2-3 mm long, thickened and enlarged in fruit. Calyx pubescent, ± glabrous. Corolla 2.5-4 mm long, pubescent outside; tube c. 1.25-1.50 mm long, lobes 5, rarely 4, lanceolate, acute or mucronate, valvate. Stamens 5, rarely 4, inserted on the throat of corolla-tube, anthers oblong, exserted, 0.5-1 mm long. Style 2.5-3.5 mm long, branched ± from the middle, ± unequal; stigma globose. Fruit 3-5 x 2-3.5 mm, globose by suppression of one carpel or didymous, black when ripe, ± glabrous.