Shrub up to 1 m tall, often aromatic. Stem and branches glabrous or pubescent to tomentose. Leaves opposite, less often alternate, 3-8 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm broad, elliptic-oblong to lanceolate, acute or obtuse, midrib and lamina glabrous to pubescent, subsessile. Flowers greenish yellow, in axillary or extra axillary heads or short spikes. Calyx tube 5-7 mm long, pubescent, 4 lobed; lobes c. 2.2 mm long, obovate, irregular. Disc c. 1.5 mm long, with 1-3 linear to pinnatifid segments. Upper 4 stamens exserted. Ovary 1.5 mm long, pubescent, subsessile; less than 1 mm long; stigma capitate. Fruit c. 4.5 mm long, ovoid.

Fl. Per. June-Sept.

Type: Nepal, Wallich 1046A (K-W).

Distribution: Nepal, Khasia mts., upper Assam, Ceylon, China, Afghanistan and W. Pakistan.

A shrub with pretty greenish yellow flowers. Found from 1000-2900 m alt.s.m. The plants along the Pak.-Afghan. border (C-6 NW) are more pubescent than the forms which occur more in the interior; there also appears to be a corelation between dense pubescence and stigma below stamens vs. glabrous to pubescent and stigma equal to stamens. More material is needed for population study. The bark of the plant is used in fibre and paper making.