Information

Liana, 5–22 m. high, or less often a sarmentose shrub, 0·60–4 m. high, deciduous with the flowers appearing after the leaves; latex white. Trunk up to 10 cm. in diam. with corky ridges up to 5 cm. long and 1·8 cm. high; branches with corky laterally compressed protuberances at the nodes, later growing into ridges, branchlets glabrous. Leaves petiolate; petiole 3–11 mm. long, lamina dark green above, much paler beneath, elliptic, ovate, or rarely obovate, 1–3·1 times as long as wide, 2·5–13·5 x 2·5–6·5 cm., rounded or cuneate at the base, mucronate or acuninate at the apex (acumen up to 10 mm. long) papyraceous or thinly coriaceous, glabrous on both sides, 3–7(8) pairs of secondary veins forming an angle of 35-60° with the midrib; tertiary venation conspicuous beneath. Inflorescence 1–3-flowered sessile or pedunculate, glabrous or sparsely puberulous in all parts; pedicels 1–7·5 mm. long; bracts ovate or narrowly ovate, 1·5–4 x 0·8–1·2 mm., acute, not sepal-like. Flowers fragrant, equal or subequal, the outer sometimes shorter and wider than the inner, ovate or narrowly ovate, 2–6 times as long as wide, 3·5–10 x 1·5–3-5 mm., acute or apiculate, glabrous, ciliate, or rarely puberulous; with 2–3 colleters per sepal, colleters rarely forked. Corolla tube white and red, purple-streaked, (22)25–43 mm. long, widening at 1/7-1/3 (2/5) of its length into a cyathiform upper part, at the mouth 17–35 mm. wide, glabrous or less often puberulous outside, puberulous inside; corona lobes 2–6 x 1·2–3·2 mm., puberulous; corolla lobes ovate and gradually narrowing into the acute apex (20)25–57 x 10–27 mm., glabrous or less often puberulous on both sides, but always puberulous inside at the base. Stamens included for 5–16 mm.; filaments straight, 3·5–6 mm. long; anthers 6·5–9 x (1·3) 1·6–2·2 mm., glabrous; acumen 0·8–2 mm. long. Ovary 1·3–2·2 x 2–3·8 mm., glabrous; style 8·8–15·5 mm. long; clavuncula 2·2–3 x 1·9–3 mm., stigma minute. Follicles divergent at an angle of 160–200°, tapering into a broad or narrow obtuse apex, 12–26 cm. long and 3–4·5 cm. in diameter; exocarp grey-black or purplish-black, thick and hard, glabrous, very densely lenticellate. Seeds with the grain 10–15 x 2·2–4 x 1 mm., densely pubescent; rostrum glabrous for 15–52 mm. and bear­ing a coma for 17–35 mm.; coma 36–70 mm. long.

Information

Liana, 5–22 m. high, or less often a sarmentose shrub, 0·60–4 m. high, deciduous with the flowers appearing after the leaves; latex white. Trunk up to 10 cm. in diam. with corky ridges up to 5 cm. long and 1·8 cm. high; branches with corky laterally compressed protuberances at the nodes, later growing into ridges, branchlets glabrous. Leaves petiolate; petiole 3–11 mm. long, lamina dark green above, much paler beneath, elliptic, ovate, or rarely obovate, 1–3·1 times as long as wide, 2·5–13·5 x 2·5–6·5 cm., rounded or cuneate at the base, mucronate or acuninate at the apex (acumen up to 10 mm. long) papyraceous or thinly coriaceous, glabrous on both sides, 3–7(8) pairs of secondary veins forming an angle of 35-60° with the midrib; tertiary venation conspicuous beneath. Inflorescence 1–3-flowered sessile or pedunculate, glabrous or sparsely puberulous in all parts; pedicels 1–7·5 mm. long; bracts ovate or narrowly ovate, 1·5–4 x 0·8–1·2 mm., acute, not sepal-like. Flowers fragrant, equal or subequal, the outer sometimes shorter and wider than the inner, ovate or narrowly ovate, 2–6 times as long as wide, 3·5–10 x 1·5–3-5 mm., acute or apiculate, glabrous, ciliate, or rarely puberulous; with 2–3 colleters per sepal, colleters rarely forked. Corolla tube white and red, purple-streaked, (22)25–43 mm. long, widening at 1/7-1/3 (2/5) of its length into a cyathiform upper part, at the mouth 17–35 mm. wide, glabrous or less often puberulous outside, puberulous inside; corona lobes 2–6 x 1·2–3·2 mm., puberulous; corolla lobes ovate and gradually narrowing into the acute apex (20)25–57 x 10–27 mm., glabrous or less often puberulous on both sides, but always puberulous inside at the base. Stamens included for 5–16 mm.; filaments straight, 3·5–6 mm. long; anthers 6·5–9 x (1·3) 1·6–2·2 mm., glabrous; acumen 0·8–2 mm. long. Ovary 1·3–2·2 x 2–3·8 mm., glabrous; style 8·8–15·5 mm. long; clavuncula 2·2–3 x 1·9–3 mm., stigma minute. Follicles divergent at an angle of 160–200°, tapering into a broad or narrow obtuse apex, 12–26 cm. long and 3–4·5 cm. in diameter; exocarp grey-black or purplish-black, thick and hard, glabrous, very densely lenticellate. Seeds with the grain 10–15 x 2·2–4 x 1 mm., densely pubescent; rostrum glabrous for 15–52 mm. and bear­ing a coma for 17–35 mm.; coma 36–70 mm. long.