| Plant | Height | Up to 2 m tall | Up to 1 m tall (Gavade et al. 2020) | Up to 1 m tall (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Habitat | Roadsides and wastelands | Roadsides and wastelands | Roadsides and wastelands |
| Branches and leaf arrangement | Alternate and spiral | Alternate and spiral | Distichous (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Leaves | Shape and size | Narrowly lanceolate to ovate, 5.0–45 × 1.0–17 mm | Linear spear-shaped (Miller 1768), 10–50 × 3.0–15 mm | Lanceolate to ovate, oblong or liner (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Leaf base (Fig. 2 ii) | Cuneate to rounded | Truncate or cordate at base (Gavade et al. 2020) | Truncate (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Nerves at base | 3 (- 5) nerved | Only three-nerved (Gavade et al. 2020) | Three nerved at base (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Petiole length | 2.0–5.0 mm | 5.0–45 mm (Gavade et al. 2020) | 3.0–6.0 mm (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Spiny emergences (spurs) (Fig. 2 iii) | Absent | Three spiny emergences (spurs) at base (Gavade et al. 2020) | Absent |
| Leaf indumentum (adaxial) | Sparsely to coarsely pubescent (stellate + simple hairs) | Densely stellate tomentose (Gavade et al. 2020) | Hairy or glabrous (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Leaf indumentum (abaxial) | Stellate hairs present | Sparsely pubescent above (Gavade et al. 2020) | Hairy or glabrous (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Stipules | Size and shape | 1.5–3.0 × 0.5–1.0 mm, subequal, narrowly lanceolate to linear-lanceolate | 5.0–7.0 × 1.0 mm, equal, ensiform, falcate (Gavade et al. 2020) | 6.0–10 × 1.0–1.5 mm, one lanceolate or falcate other linear to filiform (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Stipule indumentum | Simple + stellate hairs on both surfaces and margin | Densely pubescent with stellate hairs (in live specimen) | Simple hairs only on margin |
| Flowers | Position | Axillary, two or more | Solitary axillary (Gavade et al. 2020) | Axillary, solitary, by development of an accessory bud in clusters of 2–8 flowers (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Petal size | 7.0–9.0 × 4.0–4.5 mm | 6.0–6.5 × 3.0–4.0 mm (Gavade et al. 2020) | 7–10 mm (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Petal apex (Fig. 2 i) | Retuse to nearly entire apex | Slightly falcate, blunt apex (Gavade et al. 2020) | Obliquely obovate, usually emarginate (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Peduncle + pedicel | Peduncle 1.0–2.0 mm; pedicel 1.5–2.5 mm; pubescent; longer or shorter than petiole | Peduncle 2.5–3.0 mm; pedicel 1.0–2.0 mm; slightly pubescent; shorter than petiole (Gavade et al. 2020) | Peduncle + pedicel 3–10 mm (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Articulation (peduncle-pedicel) (Fig. 2 iv) | Below middle | Above middle | Usually jointed ± at the middle (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Calyx indumentum | Outer surface pubescent (simple + stellate), inner glabrous | Densely stellate hairs present on outer surface, inner glabrous (in live specimen) | Outer surface pubescent or glabrous |
| Staminal tube | ca. 3.5 mm, pubescent (simple + glandular hairs) | 2.0–2.5 cm, stellate-pubescent (Gavade et al. 2020) | 2–2.5 mm long glabrous or minutely pubescent (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Style size | Unequal in size (Fig. 1 O) | — | Equal style larger than filament |
| Style color | Yellow | Yellow (Gavade et al. 2020) | White (in live specimen), pale yellow (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Fruit (general) | Indehiscent; calyx soft and compressible | Dehiscent; calyx firm and non-compressible | Dehiscent; calyx firm and non-compressible |
| Mericarps (Fig. 2 v) | Number and nature | 5 (- 6), heteromorphic | Five, homomorphic (Gavade et al. 2020) | 6–10, homomorphic (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Size | 3.0–3.5 × 1.0–2.0 mm | 4.0–4.2 × 2.0–2.2 mm (Gavade et al. 2020) | 2.0–2.5 mm long (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Shape (mature) | Trigonous-globose | Trigonous (Gavade et al. 2020) | Trigonous with acute angle (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Surface | Coarsely rugose - tuberculate | Reticulate or wrinkled (Gavade et al. 2020) | Reticulate on the side below, reticulate or transversely rugose on the back (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Awns | Apically two awns, 1.0–1.5 mm, simple and stellate hairy, divergent / parallel | Two awns ca. 2 mm, divergent covered with simple and stellate hairs (Gavade et al. 2020) | Two awns 1–1.5 mm long, divergent glabrous (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966; Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Mericarp separation | One mericarp separates easily; others remain attached to calyx cup | All mericarps separate easily | All mericarps separate easily |
| Notch between awns | Shallow, broad, U-shaped | Notched between awn and lower portion of mericarp (Gavade et al. 2020) | Deep, narrow sinus |
| Seeds (Fig. 2 vi) | General | Seeds are of different shape and size | All seeds are of same shape and size | All seeds are of same shape and size |
| Seed size | Mature seed 2 mm long | 0.18–0.18 mm long (Gavade et al. 2020) | 2 mm long (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Seed shape | Subtrigonous, slightly asymmetrical | Ovoid, rounded trigonous (Tambde 2023) | Trigonous with rounded angles (Sivarajan and Pradeep 1996) |
| Seed surface (hairs) | Glabrous, shortly hairy at hilum | Glabrous, granular at hilum (Gavade et al. 2020) | Glabrous, shortly hairy at hilum (Van Borssum Waalkes 1966) |
| Dorsal ridge | Less sharp, rounded | Very sharp, pointed | Very prominent, thick |
| Apex | Broadly rounded | Pointed | Slightly pointed |
| Seed width symmetry | Asymmetrical | Symmetrical | Symmetrical |
| Color | Dull brown to grey-brown | Brownish to black (Gavade et al. 2020) | More variable in color as observed in live specimen |