shrubby; stems erect, woody, 1–2 ft. high, often angled or sulcate, hirsute or pubescent; leaves thinly to firmly membranous, long-petioled, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, sometimes linear-lanceolate, gradually acutely acuminate, base cordate, margin serrate or crenate-serrate, 1–3 1/2 in. long, sometimes in tropical specimens up to 7 in. long, 1/3–1 1/4 in. wide, hirsute or pubescent on both surfaces especially on the nerves; petiole 1/2–1 1/4 in. long, pubescent and often hirsute; stipules subulate or filiform, 1 1/2–2 lin. long, pilose; inflorescences 1-sexual, monœcious, male lateral and female terminal on the same branch; male spikes axillary, solitary, narrow-cylindric, on slender pubescent or puberulous peduncles up to 1 in. long, the spikes 1 in. (at length 2 1/2 in.) long, dense-flowered; male bracts minute; male buds almost glabrous; female spikes at the ends of twigs, sessile, 1/2–1 1/4 in. long, 1/4 in. across; bracts 1–2-flowered, suborbicular or reniform, rather deeply 7–10-toothed, under 1/4 in. long, about 1/3 in. across; teeth wide-triangular, obtuse or faintly mucronate, puberulous and densely stipitate-glandular outside, but without long spreading hairs, inside glabrous; sepals 4, lanceolate, subacute, somewhat unequal, ciliate, pubescent outside; ovary rather deeply 3–4-lobed, pubescent and with several long-stipitate glands on the upper portion of each lobe; styles 3–4, sparingly laciniate, about 1/2 in. long; seeds subglobose, with a large hilum. null
