Information

Shrub or small tree 1.5–6 m. tall, more or less foetid; stems glabrous, striate and lenticellate. Leaf-blades elliptic to obovate-oblanceolate, 4–17 cm. long, 2.4–9 cm. wide, shortly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, thickly papery but not coriaceous, glabrous; lateral nerves 6–10 pairs; petiole 0.9–1.5 cm. long; stipules triangular or rounded, 1–3 mm. long, with tomentose margins. Flowers showing limited heterostyly, 2(–6) in pedunculate lax axillary 1–2-branched cymes, 1(–3) per axil; peduncles (0.8–)2–5.5 cm. long; secondary branches (0–)0.5–2.5 cm. long; pedicels not developed; bracts small, together with the junction of primary and secondary peduncles hairy. Calyx-tube turbinate, 1.5–3 mm. long, constricted, glabrous; limb 2-lobed; joined part 2.5–3 mm. long; lobes convex, rounded-ovate, 3–5.5 mm. long, 4–6(–8) mm. wide, glabrous save for a few hairs on the main nerve at the apex. Corolla waxy, bluish-white to mauve, lilac or deep blue; tube broadly cylindrical, 0.9–1.5(–2) cm. long, 3–8 mm. wide, densely or sparsely hairy inside, glabrescent to sparsely covered with minute hairs outside; lobes 5–7, ovate-triangular, 2.4 mm. long, 2.8–3.2(–5) mm. wide, hairy inside, glabrous to pubescent outside, particularly near the edges at the base or ± glabrous. Stamens 5, inserted in the throat; anthers included in long-styled flowers, the tips exserted 2–3 mm. in short-styled flowers. Ovary 5-locular; style 5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 1.3–1.4 cm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma-lobes 5–6, oblong-subglobose, 2 mm, long; style-tips ± 2–3 mm. below throat in one form, just exserted in the other. Fruit subglobose, 5-lobed in dry state, 4–5 mm. tall, 6–7 mm. wide; pyrenes ± 3–5 mm. long.