Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect to sprawling shrub to ca. 1.5 m.

Stems: Stems densely pubescent with yellow–ferruginous, short–stalked porrect–stellate trichomes, the stalks of various lengths to ca. 0.1 mm, the rays 6–10, 0.15–0.2 mm long, the midpoint shorter than the rays, new growth densely stellate–pubescent, bark of older stems reddish brown. sympodial units difoliate, the leaves geminate or not, if geminate the leaves of a pair similar in size and shape. internodes to 6.6 cm long, unarmed.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades deltate to ovate, shallowly lobed., 3.5–8.0 cm long, 2.2–6.4 cm wide, 1.3–1.6 times as long as wide. Apex acute to acuminate. Base cordate, truncate, or rounded. Upper surfaces densely pubescent with short–stalked porrect–stellate trichomes, the stalks to ca. 0.1 mm long, the rays 6–9, 0.1–0.2 mm long, the midpoint much shorter than the rays; lower surfaces densely pubescent with short–stalked porrect–stellate trichomes, the stalks to ca. 0.1 mm long, the rays 7–9, 0.2–0.25 mm long, the midpoint of the stellate trichomes much shorter than the rays; blades chartaceous, concolorous, unarmed. Margins entire or shallowly lobed, the sinuses less than ¼ of the way to the midrib. Principal veins 4–6 pairs, the midrib raised abaxially, distinct adaxially, the lateral veins weakly brochidodromous or semicraspedodromous, raised abaxially, distinct adaxially. Petioles 0.8–3.3 cm long, 1.0–1.4 mm in diameter, channeled adaxially, densely pubescent with stalked porrect–stellate trichomes like the stems and leaves. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescence to 8.1 cm long in flower, appearing lateral, extra-axillary, emerging from the distal ⅓ of the internode, typically unbranched but occasionally forked, with 10–16 flowers, densely pubescent with short–stalked porrect–stellate trichomes like the stems and leaves; peduncle 0.5–1.7 cm long. Flowers bisexual (perfect), heterostylous, with short–styled flowers borne distally, the plants weakly andromonoecious, Flowers 4–5-merous. Pedicels 0.9–1.2 cm long, 0.3–0.6 mm in diameter at the base, 0.5–0.9 mm in diameter below the calyx, straight, densely pubescent with porrect–stellate trichomes like those of the inflorescence axes, articulated at the base; pedicel scars evenly spaced to 8.8 mm apart, in two rows. Buds globose, the calyx densely stellate–pubescent, the corolla densely stellate–pubescent abaxially where exposed, strongly exerted from the calyx before anthesis. Calyx 3.1–4.9 mm long, the tube 1.7–1.8 mm long, the lobes 1.1–3.5 mm long, 1.2– 2.1 mm wide, deltate, splitting in the sinuses during fruit development and then the lobes long–triangular, densely pubescent abaxially and adaxially. Corolla 1.3–2.0 cm in diameter, stellate, white, the interpetalar tissue well–developed, glabrous, the petal midveins purple, the lobes 5.1–5.7 mm long, 7.2–7.4 mm wide, deltate, spreading at anthesis, moderately pubescent abaxially, more or less glabrous adaxially. Stamens equal; filament tube minute; free portion of the filaments ca. 1.5 mm long, glabrous; anthers 2.9–3.2 mm long, 0.8–0.9 mm wide, tapering, strongly arcuate and spreading, purple sometimes appearing almost black, poricidal at the tips, the pores directed distally, not splitting with age. Ovary superior, ca. 0.8 mm in diameter, ovate, white or cream in live plants, densely pubescent with porrect–stellate trichomes; styles of long–styled flowers ca. 3.8 mm long, ca. 0.4 mm in diameter, exserted from the anther cone, filiform, straight, densely stellate pubescent in the basal 2/3, in short–styled flowers 2.1–2.5 mm long, 0.1–0.2 mm in diameter, included in the anther cone; stigma ca. 0.3 mm in diameter, capitate, white or cream (live plants).

Fruit: Globose berry; 1.0–1.5 cm in diameter; green when immature; red or black when mature; juicy; glabrous; the pericarp thin; matte to slightly glossy; opaque; fruiting pedicels 1.1–1.9 cm long; 0.9–1.1 mm in diameter at the base; 2.1–2.3 mm in diameter below the calyx; straight and spreading; fruiting calyx lobes 3.4–6.3 mm long; 1.8–2.5 mm wide; moderately to densely pubescent; appressed to the berry surface. Seeds 20–30 per fruit; 2.8–3.5 mm long; 3.5–4.1 mm wide; flattened–reniform; red–brown when dry; the surface minutely pitted and evenly reticulate; seed coat cells straight–sided.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Shallow rocky soil.

Elevation Range: 10–270 m.