Celosia polysperma Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. 2: 511. 1824; Cladostachys polysperma (Roxburgh) K. C. Kuan; Deeringia indica Zollinger ex Moquin-Tandon var. pubescens Schinz; D. polysperma var. pubescens (Schinz) Merrill.

Herbs erect or subshrubs, 1-2 m tall. Petiole glabrous; leaf blade ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 8-15 × 4-7 cm, apex acuminate or acute. Spikes axillary, solitary or paired, 3-12 cm. Tepals adnate to fruit. Filaments connate into a cup at base. Ovules more than 10; stigmas 2 or 3. Berry white, 4-5 mm in diam. Seeds reniform, ca. 0.7 mm in diam., finely verruculose. Fl. and fr. Jun-Dec.

Hillsides;; low to medium elevations. Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan [Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].