The plants have a bushy appearance and are characterized by their mucilaginous nature. They display a deep red to violet-red color. The stipes, or stems, are irregularly branched, clustered, and terminate in vesicles that are ovate to pyriform in shape. These vesicles are hollow. Inside the plant, the medullary cells transition from hyaline (translucent) to smaller, pigmented cortical cells as you move towards the outer part. The outer cortical cells create a continuous layer rather than forming rosettes, and the gland cells are elongated.