Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs 3–4 m tall.

Stems: New growth densely appressed hirtellous, gradually becoming glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades oblong–elliptic, 6.5–14.8 cm long, 1.9–6.5 cm wide. Apex obtuse to rounded, ± emarginate. Base subtruncately rounded to slightly subcordate. Upper surfaces glossy, glabrous; lower surfaces paler veins hirtellous; with weak or no resinous odor when crushed, thin, subcoriaceous, prominently glandular punctate. Margins entire. Primary lateral veins 14– 18 pairs, connected by a vein 2–4 mm from margin, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern, venation pinnate, lateral veins connected by an arched submarginal vein, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern. Petioles 10–16 mm long, glabrate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers apparently solitary, peduncles and pedicels ca. 5 mm long. Floral details unknown. Calyx of 4 sepals, imbricate. Corolla of 4 petals. Stamens 8. Ovary superior, 4-celled and 4-lobed, carpels connate, only slightly distinct at apex to almost entirely distinct; ovules 2 per cell, hemitropous, 1 ascending; style 1, terminating in 4 short stigmatic branches.

Fruit: Capsules ca. 8 mm long and 20 mm wide; carpels connate ca. ⅓ their length; ca. 10 mm long; exocarp minutely puberulent; endocarp sparsely short–pilose. the carpels dehiscing along the upper suture; exocarp. Seeds 1–2 per carpel; ca. 8.5 mm long; glossy black when ripe; crustaceous; ovoid; sometimes angled from compression; embryo straight in fleshy endosperm; radicle short; cotyledons compressed; ovate; putamen brown; warty.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: 730 m.