Subshrub, stems flexuose, wiry, brown, sparsely covered with small reflexed hairs. Leaves to 3 cm long, shortly petiolate, ovate, acute, dark green, gland-dotted. Spikes 1-1.5 cm long, held on short branches of the prostrate stem, bracts about 16, 7 mm long, ovate, acute, glabrous, green, becoming pink. Calyx 3.5 mm long, 5-lobed, the 3 upper lobes slightly longer than the 2 lower lobes. Corolla 10 mm long, lilac-pink, the tube 7 mm long, upper lip shortly 2-lobed, lower lip of 3 more or less equal lobes. Stamens 4-7 mm long, protruding.

Similar to O. sipyleum and surprisingly believed to be a hybrid with O. dictamnus. [This putative hybrid has long been known as O. ×hybridinum (or incorrectly O. ×hybridum)]

Floriferous with pink bracts; flowers intermediate in size between the rotundifolium/dictamnus hybrids and the vulgare/laevigatum group. Leaves and bracts hairless.