Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees 4–6 m tall, young parts gray to pale brown or reddish brown tomentose, rarely glabrous.

Stems: Branches glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate, densely clustered toward the ends of the branches. Blades spatulate to obovate or elliptic–obovate, (3.2–)6.5–15 (–17) cm long, (1–)2–4(–5.6) cm wide. Apex obtuse to rounded, occasionally acute or short-acuminate. Base attenuate. Surfaces dull; upper surfaces with slightly impressed veins, usually densely reddish brown tomentose when very young, soon glabrate; lower surfaces with prominent raised veins, densely reddish brown to brown or rarely gray tomentose, rarely glabrate, usually strongly revolute; blades, coriaceous to thick and chartaceous. Margins entire. Lateral veins 10–17 pairs. Petioles (0.5–)1–2.5(–2.8) cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences gray to pale brown or reddish brown tomentose, rarely glabrous. peduncles (1–)8–60 mm long, pedicels (1–)3–13 mm long, bracts subulate, 1–6 mm long. Flowers unisexual, usually 6–12 in axillary (just below the leaves), simple, corymbose inflorescences. Calyx cup-shaped, sepals 5, distinct, lanceolate to ovate, 2–4 mm long, densely pale brown tomentose, margins ciliate, apex acute to acuminate. Corolla of 5 petals, cream, 12–14 mm long. Stamens 5, alternate with the petals, distinct; filaments ca. 7 mm long, those of pistillate flowers ca. 5 mm long; fertile anthers ca. 3 mm long, those of pistillate flowers ca. 2 mm long. Ovary superior, 2(3)-carpellate, 2–3-celled, on a short gynophore, placentation parietal; ovules numerous, in 2 rows per placenta; style 1; stigma capitate.

Fruit: Capsules broadly ovoid to oblong–ovoid; strongly compressed; 19–25(–30) mm long; usually densely pale brown to brown tomentose; ± eventually glabrate; apex emarginate to rounded; the usually persistent style ca. 5–6 mm long; the valves with woody exocarp 1.5–4 mm thick; with a median furrow; the surface smooth to rugulose–roughened; seed mass nearly filling the capsules volume. Seeds ca. 50; reddish black; irregularly angled and compressed; 4–6.5 mm long.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Dry to mesic forest; sometimes in subalpine woodland.

Elevation Range: 300–2,010 m.