Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Subshrubs 3–4 dm tall.

Stems: Stems erect, densely viscid puberulent, often swollen at the nodes, axillary shoots.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite or whorled. Blades linear to narrowly elliptic, 25–35 mm long, 2–7 mm wide; also short densely leafy, axillary shoots with leaves much–reduced, usually ca. 1–15 mm long. Base leaf bases often connate around the stem. Surfaces of axillary shoots pubescent especially along margins and toward base, the hairs longer toward the base. Margins entire. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in paniculate cymes, puberulent throughout. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Pedicels 5– 15 mm long. Calyx 5-toothed, 15–19 mm long, 10–nerved, puberulent, the lobes acute. Corolla of 5 petals; petals white, blades 5–8 mm long, cleft. Stamens exserted beyond calyx. Ovary superior, 1-celled or incompletely 2–4 celled, on a well–developed stipe that is adnate to the staminal filament bases and petal bases (referred to as a carpophore); styles 3(4–5); Carpophore 5–7 mm long, elongating up to ca. 8 mm long in fruit.

Fruit: Capsules oblong–ovoid; 3–celled in the lower part; 9–11 mm long; dehiscent by 6 or rarely 3 apical teeth or valves. Seeds numerous; dark reddish brown; ca. 0.8 mm long; tuberculate.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Known only from the type (Degener & Wiebke 2310; F; K; NY; UC; US) collected on a dry; rocky embankment.

Elevation Range: