Information

An erect rather branched shrub up to 1·8 m. high. Stems cylindric and glabrescent towards the base; branchlets 4–6-gonous, slender, short or not very long, borne at ± 45· to the main stems, sparsely and shortly appressed-setose. Leaves 2–3-nate; lamina 2·4–8 x 0·5–2·1 cm., lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, acute at the apex, acute or somewhat contracted and roundish at base, entire or minutely crenulate at the margin, papyraceous (rigid on drying), usually discolorous (darker green and sometimes shining on the upper face, bright- to yellow-green on the under one), glabrous or sparsely appressed-setose (the bristles slender) above, sparsely appressed-setose beneath mainly on nerves, longitudinally 3-nerved, the longitudinal nerves impressed above, raised beneath, the transverse nerves and reticulation inconspicuous on both faces; petiole 4–6 mm. long, somewhat slender, yellowish-green. Cymes with few to several 5-merous flowers at the end of the stems and branches, rarely flowers solitary; inner bracts shorter than the receptacle, widely ovate to subcircular, scarious, brownish and ciliate, outer ones ovate-lanceolate, acute, with a scarious base and leafy apex, all caducous; pedicels c. 2 mm. long. Receptacle 9–10 x 7–8 mm., ovoid, densely covered with nipple-shaped, sometimes slightly compressed, reddish to brown, patent (eventually reflexed) appendages which are successively longer from the base to the receptacle-apex and bear 1 to few white, short subulate bristles at the top. Sepals up to ± 10 x 6 mm., oblong-ovate, contracted at the base, unequally bilobed (the lobes obtuse) or emarginate at the apex, deep pink- to reddish-brown with a submedian sparsely ciliate keel and glabrous widely-scarious margins, often persistent in fruit, eventually falling; intersepalar segments ± 5 mm. long, erect, similar to the uppermost receptacle-appendages. Petals 2–3 x 1·5–2 cm., mauve to bright purple. Longer stamens: anthers 10–13 mm. long; pedoconnective 15–20 mm. long with the basal appendage c. 3 mm. long. Shorter stamens: anthers 8–10 mm. long, pedoconnective c. 4 mm. long with the appendage c. 2·5 mm. long. Fructiferous receptacle 12–15 x 8–9 mm., ovoid to subspherical, contracted at the mouth. Capsule 3/4 as long as receptacle, sparsely setose on the margins of valves and with a crown of short bristles swollen at base around the insertion of style. Seeds c. 1 mm. long, minutely papillose-tuberculate.

Information

An erect rather branched shrub up to 1·8 m. high. Stems cylindric and glabrescent towards the base; branchlets 4–6-gonous, slender, short or not very long, borne at ± 45· to the main stems, sparsely and shortly appressed-setose. Leaves 2–3-nate; lamina 2·4–8 x 0·5–2·1 cm., lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, acute at the apex, acute or somewhat contracted and roundish at base, entire or minutely crenulate at the margin, papyraceous (rigid on drying), usually discolorous (darker green and sometimes shining on the upper face, bright- to yellow-green on the under one), glabrous or sparsely appressed-setose (the bristles slender) above, sparsely appressed-setose beneath mainly on nerves, longitudinally 3-nerved, the longitudinal nerves impressed above, raised beneath, the transverse nerves and reticulation inconspicuous on both faces; petiole 4–6 mm. long, somewhat slender, yellowish-green. Cymes with few to several 5-merous flowers at the end of the stems and branches, rarely flowers solitary; inner bracts shorter than the receptacle, widely ovate to subcircular, scarious, brownish and ciliate, outer ones ovate-lanceolate, acute, with a scarious base and leafy apex, all caducous; pedicels c. 2 mm. long. Receptacle 9–10 x 7–8 mm., ovoid, densely covered with nipple-shaped, sometimes slightly compressed, reddish to brown, patent (eventually reflexed) appendages which are successively longer from the base to the receptacle-apex and bear 1 to few white, short subulate bristles at the top. Sepals up to ± 10 x 6 mm., oblong-ovate, contracted at the base, unequally bilobed (the lobes obtuse) or emarginate at the apex, deep pink- to reddish-brown with a submedian sparsely ciliate keel and glabrous widely-scarious margins, often persistent in fruit, eventually falling; intersepalar segments ± 5 mm. long, erect, similar to the uppermost receptacle-appendages. Petals 2–3 x 1·5–2 cm., mauve to bright purple. Longer stamens: anthers 10–13 mm. long; pedoconnective 15–20 mm. long with the basal appendage c. 3 mm. long. Shorter stamens: anthers 8–10 mm. long, pedoconnective c. 4 mm. long with the appendage c. 2·5 mm. long. Fructiferous receptacle 12–15 x 8–9 mm., ovoid to subspherical, contracted at the mouth. Capsule 3/4 as long as receptacle, sparsely setose on the margins of valves and with a crown of short bristles swollen at base around the insertion of style. Seeds c. 1 mm. long, minutely papillose-tuberculate.

Information

An erect rather branched shrub up to 1·8 m. high. Stems cylindric and glabrescent towards the base; branchlets 4–6-gonous, slender, short or not very long, borne at ± 45· to the main stems, sparsely and shortly appressed-setose. Leaves 2–3-nate; lamina 2·4–8 x 0·5–2·1 cm., lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, acute at the apex, acute or somewhat contracted and roundish at base, entire or minutely crenulate at the margin, papyraceous (rigid on drying), usually discolorous (darker green and sometimes shining on the upper face, bright- to yellow-green on the under one), glabrous or sparsely appressed-setose (the bristles slender) above, sparsely appressed-setose beneath mainly on nerves, longitudinally 3-nerved, the longitudinal nerves impressed above, raised beneath, the transverse nerves and reticulation inconspicuous on both faces; petiole 4–6 mm. long, somewhat slender, yellowish-green. Cymes with few to several 5-merous flowers at the end of the stems and branches, rarely flowers solitary; inner bracts shorter than the receptacle, widely ovate to subcircular, scarious, brownish and ciliate, outer ones ovate-lanceolate, acute, with a scarious base and leafy apex, all caducous; pedicels c. 2 mm. long. Receptacle 9–10 x 7–8 mm., ovoid, densely covered with nipple-shaped, sometimes slightly compressed, reddish to brown, patent (eventually reflexed) appendages which are successively longer from the base to the receptacle-apex and bear 1 to few white, short subulate bristles at the top. Sepals up to ± 10 x 6 mm., oblong-ovate, contracted at the base, unequally bilobed (the lobes obtuse) or emarginate at the apex, deep pink- to reddish-brown with a submedian sparsely ciliate keel and glabrous widely-scarious margins, often persistent in fruit, eventually falling; intersepalar segments ± 5 mm. long, erect, similar to the uppermost receptacle-appendages. Petals 2–3 x 1·5–2 cm., mauve to bright purple. Longer stamens: anthers 10–13 mm. long; pedoconnective 15–20 mm. long with the basal appendage c. 3 mm. long. Shorter stamens: anthers 8–10 mm. long, pedoconnective c. 4 mm. long with the appendage c. 2·5 mm. long. Fructiferous receptacle 12–15 x 8–9 mm., ovoid to subspherical, contracted at the mouth. Capsule 3/4 as long as receptacle, sparsely setose on the margins of valves and with a crown of short bristles swollen at base around the insertion of style. Seeds c. 1 mm. long, minutely papillose-tuberculate.