Annual. Stems 5-30 cm, usually much branched, rather slender, quadrangular, with a sparse indumentum of short eglandular hairs. Leaves narrowly to broadly elliptic, c. 2-4 x 1 cm, with a thin indumentum, mainly on nerves, of short white hairs, finely gland-dotted below, crenulate, petiolate. Inflorescence a globose-ovoid head, 5-15 x 5-9 mm. Bracts quadrate-rhombic, sub-tending 4-6 flowers. Calyx bilabiate, c. 1.5 mm in flower, with a thickish indumentum of white eglandular hairs at base of tube, with or without sessile oil globules, teeth ciliate-fringed; calyx in fruit c.4 mm with an oblong, apically rounded upper lip and 4 narrow triangular lower teeth. Corolla c. 2.5 mm, pale pink to purple, shortly 5-lobed. Stamens 4, projecting ± straight for-ward, included within corolla. Thecae globose, unilocular. Nutlets 0.7 x 0.4 mm, pale brown, slightly mucilaginous on wetting.

Fl. Per.: October-November.

Described from [SW India] Malabar (cf. Nicolson & Sivadasan in Taxon 29: 324. 1980).

Distribution: Kashmir to Nepal, Bhutan, India, Indo-China, Malaysia.

Characteristic features of the species are the annual habit, the ovoid flower heads, very small floral parts and the 1:4 calyx.