Information

Pyrophytic subshrub 15–25(–45) cm tall but sometimes flowering at ground level, sometimes forming cushions from a many-headed woody rootstock; bark grey-brown, ± smooth or rough. Leaves narrowly elliptic, narrowly oblanceolate or narrowly oblong, (3–)4–12 cm long, 0.9–2.8 cm wide, narrowly rounded to acute at the apex, narrowly cuneate at the base, serrate with close curved teeth; lateral veins 12–20, prominent on both surfaces with very close reticulate or partly subparallel tertiary venation between, sometimes reddish; petiole 2 mm long; stipules linear-triangular, 3–7 mm long, entire or ± divided, deciduous. Flowers solitary or 2–5 in umbellate or shortly racemose inflorescences axillary on second-year growths; pedicels 1.5–4 cm long, articulated at or near base. Sepals elliptic or ± round, 5–8(–10) mm long, 2–3 mm wide, becoming red and up to 15x8 mm in fruit. Petals yellow or orange-yellow, obovate, (8–)12–13(–20) mm long, (4–)7–8(–13) mm wide. Anthers straight, 1.8–3 mm long, 1/3–2/3 as long as the filaments, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Carpels 5; styles completely united or rarely free at apex; stigma 5-lobed or globose, rarely 5 separate. Drupelets black, subglobose, 5–8(–10) mm diameter, inserted near the base, strongly wrinkled in dry state. Fig 4 (p. 30).