branches terete, glabrous; young branchlets rather slender, glabrous, purplish; leaves subequal in both sexes, 1–2 in. long, 1/2–1 1/4 lin. broad, linear, hardened at the apex into an obtuse mucro, rigidly coriaceous, glabrous and slightly glaucous; male inflorescences solitary or rarely 2 or 3 crowded together on short branchlets, broadly obovoid, 3–4 lin. long, 5–7 lin. in diam.; bracts 2 1/3 lin. long, ovate, obtuse, glabrous; perianth-tube 2 lin. long, cylindric, glabrous; lobes 2 lin. long, linear, glabrous; limb 3/4 lin. long, oblong-linear, obtuse, glabrous; anthers 1 lin. long, linear; style 4 lin. long, narrowed to the base, coarsely pilose on the middle third; stigma flat, oblique; hypogynous scales 2 lin. long, filiform; female inflorescence solitary, terminal, surrounded by several leaves, ovoid, 3–4 lin. long, 3 lin. in diam.; bracts 2 lin. long, 2 1/4 lin. broad, ovate, subacuminate, subobtuse, concave, glabrous except for the long villous base; perianth-tube 2 lin. long, compressed, villous; segments 1 lin. long, linear, glabrous; limb 1/3 lin. long, oblong, subacute, incurved above, glabrous; staminodes 1/4 lin. long; style 2 1/2 lin. long, cylindric, glabrous; stigma 2-lobed; ovary 1/2 lin. long, ellipsoid, villous; hypogynous scales 1 lin. long, linear; fruiting head broadly ovoid, about 1/2 in. high and 3/4 in. in diam.; bracts rusty-villous near the base outside; fruit transversely oblong-ellipsoid, 2 1/2 lin. long, 4 lin. broad, slightly keeled, glabrous, black and wrinkled when dry. null