a glabrous shrub, up to 15 ft. high, of compact habit, with strong simply or twice bifurcate spines; spines up to 1 1/2 in. long; leaves broad-ovate, rarely ovate-lanceolate, rounded (rarely acute) at the base, mucronate, 1–3 in. long, 3/4–2 in. wide, coriaceous, dark green above, paler below; secondary nerves about 6 on each side, like the veins very obscure, particularly below; petiole 1–1 1/2 lin. long; cymes terminal, few-flowered or reduced to a single flower, sometimes in the fork of a spine; pedicels 1–1 1/2 lin. long; calyx 1 1/2–3 lin. long; sepals ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, mucronate, margins revolute; corolla white, fragrant, very variable in size; tube 4–6 lin. long, hairy within; lobes oblong to elliptic, narrowed towards the base, 1/2–1 1/2 in. long, overlapping to the left; stamens inserted slightly above the middle of the corolla-tube; ovules numerous; berry ovoid, pointed, scarlet, up to 2 in. long, about 16-seeded; seeds plano-convex, rather flat, elliptic in outline, 2 1/2 lin. long. null
