Biennial or perennial herbs, 30-60 (-70) cm, decumbent or creeping with a diffuse or twining habit. Stems appressed pubescent. Leaves sub-petiolate,pubescent, (8-) 18-28 x 4-8 mm, rarely larger, ovate or lanceolate-oblong to lanceolate, apex acute, lower leaves attenuate, upper auriculate. Flowers 4-10 in axillary heads. Peduncle 10-40 (-70) mm long, pubescent. Bract c. 12 mm long, ovate, acuminate. Sepals unequal, densely sericeous-tomentose, outer sepals 8-11 x 3.5-4.5 mm, elliptic-ovate, long acuminate, inner sepals 6.5-10 x 2 mm long, lanceolate, acuminate. Corolla white to light purple, 8-12 mm long, hairy on the folds outside, the tube glabrous. Filaments unequal. Ovary glabrous, on a cup-shaped disc, style glabrous, c. 4 mm long, stigma short, cylindrical. Capsule ovoid, 5 x 4 mm, glabrous. Seeds 2-4, dark brown, indistinctly tuberculate.

Fl. Per.: Dec.-Aug.

Type: Arabia, Jiddah (Dscheddan) Schimper 784 (lecto.: G-DC).

C-7 Jhelum Dist.: nr. Choa Saiden Shah, March 1950, Sultanul Abedin s.n. (RAW), above Khewera, c. 2000 ft., E. Nasir 4265 (RAW), Baluchistan: G-2 Beeloochistan, 1857, Frere (K), Gwader airport, Ali, Farooqi & Sultanul Abedin 1163 (KUH), S. of Gwader, Lamond 484 (E), Hoshab-Turbat rd., Kazmi 1086 (PES), G-3 Bela, Hab to Diwana, Lamond, 792 (E), G-4 Karachi, Malir, Jafri 2452 (KUH), Zuberi 6 (E), Mango Pir, Beg 25865 (RAW), Karachi University, Sultanul Abedin 5750 (KUH), Mango Pir, A. Rahman 26585 (K), Karachi, Nazimabad, 15.12.1958, Shamshad & Naqvi s.n. (KUH) , Jafri 815 (E), Karachi to Dadu, Lamond 860 (E), Karachi, Ali, Farooqi & Sultanul Abedin 152 (KUH), G-5 Sind: Nagar Parker, on hills, Qaiser, Hussain & Ghafoor 4034 (KUH), Kalri Lake, 7 miles from Thatta, Jalis 1046 (RAW), Jam Shoro, Hyderabad, M.A. Ali AA621 (PPFI-B), Mirpur, Taunsa, M.B. Zaman 392 (PPFI-B), 6 miles from T.B. Khan, on way to Hyderabad, Qaiser, Raza & Hussain 576 (KUH).

Distribution: N.E. Africa, (N. Sudan, Egypt), Arabia, Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan.

A species variable in size of leaves and stem habit, common here in exposed places in the Sind, Baluchistan, and Salt Range, in fields in sandy and saline soils at c. 650 m-700 m. Clarke, l.c., recognized var. volubilis with twining stems, larger heads and leaves, but these characters are not constant.

The plant is used as fodder for goats and camels, also used as a purgative.