Shrub, hermaphrodite, usually creeping and tufted, up to 2.5 m in height, highly branched from the base. Branches ascending to erect, fasciculate, articulate, tortuous, with smooth white bark, lignified as they age; more slender branches are deciduous and rough, with internodes 2.2-6.8 mm and up to 42 cm in length; old branches have a grey-white and fissured bark. Leaves ephemeral, alternate, sessile, subulate, green and glabrous, smooth, 1.5-5 mm long. Flowers in fascicles of 2-4, rarely solitary, arising at the branch nodes; pedicels articulated, 3-5 mm in length. Perianth composed of 6 tepals, white or pink, with a green thickening in the dorsal side, about 3-5 mm long, persistent and reflexed on the fruit. Stamens 12-15 with purple anthers and filaments concrescent at the base forming a villous disk. Styles 4, 3-4 mm in length, pink, as long as the ovary, stigmas capitate. Fruit an achene, oblong-fusiform, brown, 10-13 \u00d7 4-6 mm, ridged, with 4 sides slightly spirally twisted, giving a cross-shaped in cross section. Fruit valleculae wide and ribs narrow. Achenes with 12-18 rows of hairs, free at the base, which give the fruit the appearance of a much larger diameter (12-14 mm).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-12066","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n