Subshrub or small shrub, 20-40 cm high; in young stage brownish by spreading, curved, branched hairs interspersed in lower part with stiff, 1-2.5 mm long ascending hairs, later glabrescent. Stem 1 cm thick, at base usually with several to many prostrate to ascending woody branches, grey, fissured. Annual shoots long, in upper part with ± numerous ascending to spreading branches forming a paniculate inflorescence of loose or condensed spikes; in addition to the flowering shoots often with numerous shorter vegetative shoots. Leaves ascending to spreading, succulent, linear or triangular in outline, 3-25 x 0.8-2 mm, straight or slightly incurved, obtuse, at base widened with narrow hyaline margins, semi-terete or almost terete in upper part; leaf axils often with fascicles of shorter leaves. Lowermost bracts leaf-like, much longer than bracteoles, the upper scale-like, uniformely 1.5-2 mm long, ovate to almost circular in outline, as long as or shorter than bracteoles and tepals. Bracteoles similar to upper bracts. Tepals broad ovate, 2-2.5 mm long, the outer 1.4-1.6 mm wide, 1-veined, transverse line at 1/4-1/3, green blotch triangular, margins smooth, with broad hyaline zone, apex and back hairy by flexuose denticulate to branched hairs. Anthers 1.5-1.8 mm long including the 0.1-0.15 mm long semi-circular appendage, divided for 2/3, distinctly exserted; filaments 2.5-3.5 mm long; disc very small. Style 0.5-0.7 mm long; stigmas 0.7-1 mm long, revolute, inside long papillose. Fruiting perianth 6-9 mm diam., widely overlapping, wings subequal, straw- to smoke-coloured; upper part of tepals stiff, forming a closed or open cone; lower part of tepals forming a bowl with a narrow flat base, slightly hardened. Seed semi-globular, 1.5-2.5 mm in diam.