Shrub (or ? small tree) 0.6–2.5(–4) m. tall, with slender stems, densely pubescent with whitish or ± ferruginous hairs when young, glabrescent, blackish- or greyish-purple and longitudinally ridged when older; in some specimens the internodes are short and the shoots very nodose and roughened in appearance. Leaf-blades elliptic to oblong-elliptic or in some forms almost round, 1–9 cm. long, 0.5–4.5 cm. wide, rounded to distinctly acuminate at the apex, narrowly cuneate to rounded at the base, rather markedly discolorous, densely to rather finely puberulous or pubescent on both sides, often rather thickly so beneath in young leaves; nodules few, situated by the lower part of the midrib and visible beneath at its side; petiole 0.2–1.3 cm. long, puberulous to densely pubescent; stipules prominently bilobed, becoming rather thick and somewhat persistent, the triangular base 3–5 mm. long, the lobes acuminate, 1.5–3(–4) mm. long, drawn out into fine points when very young but soon lost in older ones, at first ± ferruginous pubescent, later glabrous. Flowers heterostylous, 5–6(–7)-merous, in few-flowered condensed subumbellate inflorescences 0.5–2.5 cm. long; peduncle 0.3–2.3 cm. long, rather densely pubescent; pedicels 1–3 mm. long, pubescent; bracts minute. Calyx pale, pubescent; tube obconic, 1 mm. long; limb very short or up to 0.75 mm. long; lobes linear or narrowly linear-triangular, 2–4 mm. long; disc fleshy. Corolla white or greenish cream, pubescent outside; tube 3–5.5 mm. long; lobes narrowly-oblong, 2.5–3 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide. Stamens with filaments 2–2.5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, almost obsolete in long-styled flowers. Style 2.5–4 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 5–5.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma-lobes 0.5–0.75 mm. long. Drupes reddish or scarlet, with 1–2 pyrenes, subglobose, ± grooved between the pyrenes where 2, 3.5–5 mm. in diameter, glabrous or glabrescent, crowned with the persistent calyx. Seeds red-brown, sub-globose, 4 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide, 2.5 mm. thick, the ventral face with a T-shaped median fissure; albumen not ruminate.
