Compilation
Cola ruawaensis

Shrub 5 m tall; leafy stems white, longitudinally ridged, 3 mm wide, lenticels inconspicuous; current year’s growth pale brown, tomentose, glabrous at length; bud-scales caducous, not seen. Leaf-blade simple, elliptic (smallest leaves) to obovate (larger), 7.5–16 cm long, 3.5–7 cm wide, acumen 0.3–1 cm long, base rounded to cordate (smallest leaves) or acute, lateral nerves 9 on each side of the midrib, prominent; petiole 0.5–6.5 cm long, 1 mm wide, the base and apex distinctly swollen, covered in pale brown tomentum, glabrescent; stipules caducous, not seen. Inflorescence with flowers borne with the leaves, axillary, in fascicles of 2–5, sessile, bracts ± 6 per flower and enveloping it in bud, papery, increasing in size with proximity to flower, innermost bract, suborbicular, ± 5 mm long, 8 mm wide, apex retuse, outer surface yellow-brown tomentose, apex, margins and inner surface glabrous, dark brown. Male flowers yellow, with brownish hairs, 20–25 mm across, perianth widely campanulate, divided to within 7–8 mm of the base into 6 or 7 lobes, lobes oblong-triangular, 12 mm long, 5 mm wide, apex obtuse, margin truncate, inner surface evenly papillate over the entire surface, outer surface brown tomentose, with two types of hair: short hairs dense, arms erect, long hairs scattered, arms appressed, 5; androphore conical-cylindrical, 5.5 mm long, 3.5 mm wide at base, 1.8 mm wide at apex, indumentum simple, patent, moderately dense; anthers uniseriate, 15; anther-head 2.5 mm long, 6.5 mm wide. Female flowers and fruits unknown. Fig. 5, p. 35.