Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees 3–4 m tall, young parts densely brown to reddish brown tomentose.

Stems: Branches brown tomentose to glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades broadly oblong–oblanceolate to oblong–obovate, (9–)15–28(–36) cm long, 3–8(–10) cm wide. Apex acute to short-acuminate. Base attenuate. Upper surfaces somewhat glossy, with impressed veins, giving a rugose appearance, glabrate; lower surfaces brown to reddish brown tomentose (hairs somewhat spreading and crinkled), sometimes glabrate; blades chartaceous to subcoriaceous. Margins entire, stightly revolute. Lateral veins 9–30 pairs, tertiary veins prominently reticulate, especially toward margins. Petioles (1–)2–4(–5) cm long, usually narrowly winged in upper ½. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences densely brown to reddish brown tomentose. peduncles stout, 4–12 mm long, pedicels (1–)5–8 mm long, bracts subulate to oblanceolate, 4–12 mm long. Flowers unisexual, 8–10 in axillary, simple, corymbose inflorescences. Calyx cup-shaped, sepals 5, distinct, ovate to oblong or obovate, 3.5–5 mm long, apex acute to obtuse. Corolla of 5 petals, cream, 13–18 mm long. Stamens 5, alternate with the petals, distinct; filaments 8–9 mm long, those of pistillate flowers 4–5 mm long; fertile anthers ca. 3.7 mm long, those of pistillate flowers ca. 1.8–2 mm long. Ovary superior, 2-carpellate, 2–3-celled, on a short gynophore, placentation parietal; ovules numerous, in 2 rows per placenta; style 1; stigma capitate.

Fruit: Capsules cuboid–ovoid; slightly compressed; 24–38 mm long; reddish brown tomentose when immature; glabrate at maturity; apex rounded to emarginate; the persistent style ca. 2–5 mm long; the valves with woody exocarp 3–8 mm thick; very coarsely rounded–tuberculate; the troughs between the tubercles broad; smooth; and gently sloping; seed mass not filling the capsules volume. Seeds ca. 30; black to reddish black; subreniform to irregularly angled; 7–10 mm long.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Mesic to wet forest.

Elevation Range: 520–1,830 m.