Herbs, perennial, often somewhat woody at base; taproot long and ropelike, woody. Stems decumbent to ascending, sparingly branched throughout, 2-8 dm, densely glandular-pubescent or pubescent with minute curled hairs, sometimes also with sparse long-spreading hairs basally, usually glabrous sometimes glandular-puberulent distally. Leaves mostly in basal ¹/2 of plant; larger leaves with petiole 4-22 mm, blade triangular-ovate to ovate or suborbiculate, 20-40 × 15-32 mm (distal leaves smaller, proportionately narrower), adaxial surface glabrate to densely spreading-puberulent, rarely lightly punctate, abaxial surface paler than adaxial, glabrate to moderately glandular-puberulent, usually punctate with small patches of large gray cells, base round, truncate, or cordate, usually oblique, margins entire or sinuate, apex obtuse to round. Inflorescences axillary or terminal, forked ca. 3-5 times unequally, open, without sticky internodal bands; branches strongly ascending, terminating in loose, cymose, 1-3-flowered clusters. Flowers: pedicel 0.5-5 mm; bracts at base of perianth persistent, 2-3, narrowly to broadly lanceolate, 1-2 mm, apex often acuminate; perianth purplish pink to pink (white), widely funnelform beyond constriction, 5-10 mm; stamens (4-)5-8, well exserted. Fruits borne singly (or 2-3 in open clusters), gray-brown, oblong-obovoid, 2.7-3.6 × 1.3-1.6 mm (l/w: [1.7-]2.1-2.6), apex rounded to broad-conic, glabrous; ribs 5, round or bluntly angled, not overhanging sulci, smooth; sulci 1-2 times as wide as base of ribs, not rugose (rarely deeply transversely rugose), minutely papillate.

Flowering mid summer-early fall. Limestone banks and calcareous gravel in arid shrublands; 1000-1300[-2300] m; Tex.; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, Zacatecas).