Annual or short-lived perennial herb to c. 1 m high, stems decumbent to ascending, glandular. Ochreas glandular, usually with a few appressed hairs, ciliate at apex. Leaves lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 7–10 cm long, 10–20 mm wide, glandular, margins and main veins with antrorse bristles or hairs; petiole c. 0.5 cm long. Spikes cylindric, 5–8 cm long, c. 10 mm diam., peduncle 1–5 cm long; perianth segments 5–7 mm long, white to pink, prominently gland-dotted, free almost to base. Nut trigonous, c. 1.5 mm long. Flowers May–Jun.
VVP, GipP, HSF. Native to Indo-China. Grown as a culinary herb, occasionally escaping from gardens into nearby creeks and wetlands.
