Aromatic, perennial, woody at base, decumbent or spreading undershrub, glandular-pubescent, the older stems glabrous with deciduous papery bark. Branches numerous, opposite, stiff. Leaves opposite or often pseudoverticillate, sessile or subsessile, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate or elliptic, 3-30 mm long, 2-10 mm broad, acute to obtuse, crenate or minutely serrate, often revolute, densely pubescent; stipules linear or lanceolate, 1-3 mm long, pubescent. Inflorescence axillary solitary or loose fasciculate cyme of 2-8 flowers. Flowers white to pinkish, usually 5-merous, 4-5 mm across, pedicel 1-5.5 mm long, glandular pubescent. Sepals 5, free, ovate, 2.5-4 mm long, acute or distinctly acuminate, pubescent, keeled, margins hyaline membranous, hairy. Petals 5, free, obovate-oblong, equal to or slightly longer than the sepals, 3-4 mm long, obtuse, entire, white to pinkish, transparent. Stamens 10, equal or alternately long or short; Carpels 5, united; ovary ovoid, distinctly 5, sulcate; styles 5, free, straight. Capsule whitish pink, ovoid, 5-locular. Seeds numerous, minute, shining, oblong-ellipsoid, dark brown to black.

Fl. Per. August-April.

Types: Egypt, Nile, Sa’yd, Gebel Selseleh, Qoubbanyeh, Defile (MPU, syn.) and Sudan Republic, Nile between Blocho and Dongola, Lippy (ubi? syn.).

The leaves are used as poultice on sores and broken bones; Distribution: W. Pakistan, Western India, Iran, Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Senegal, Mauritiana, Kenya.

The material from Thana Bulla Khan (Sind) seems distinct in that it has linear stipules, very short pedicels, sepals only slightly keeled, margins not distinctly membranous, hyaline and the petals are longer than the sepals; whereas in material from Karachi, stipules are lanceolate, sepals are distinctly keeled and the petals are equal to the sepals.