Perennial. Rhizome horizontal, thick, blackish. Stems 70-150 cm, with similar indumentum to T. africana. Basal leaves long-petiolate, petiole 26-30 cm; lamina elliptic, broadly elliptic or more rarely broadly ovate, 14.5-23(-27) x 6.5-13 cm, base gradually cuneate, apex acute or acuminate, sometimes with c. 1 mm mucro; lower surface very densely retrorsely strigillose, upper surface somewhat more sparsely scabrid-setulose. Cauline leaves narrowly elliptic to narrowly lanceolate, median 10-20 x 1.3-5 cm, base attenuate, apex acuminate; upper surface antrorsely or ± patent-strigillose, hairs usually arising from small tubercles, larger setiform hairs (c. 1%) always arising from large tuberculate bases surrounded by 1(-2) rows of suborbicular subsidiary cells; lower surface densely retrorsely strigillose. Inflorescence a spreading panicle, ± pagoda-shaped when young but rapidly accrescent into a rather untidy, irregularly dichotomously branched arrangement. First-order bracts 13-70 x 1-10 mm, strigillose, hairs arising from tuberculate bases; second-order bracts much smaller, 1-2(-3) per peduncle. Branches 5-16(-18) cm, elongating in fruit to 20 cm or more. Peduncles 1.5-7 cm. Pedicels at anthesis 5-20 mm, elongating to 15-60 mm in fruit. Calyx lobes dull red with greyish indumentum, 2.5-4 mm, ovate. Corolla white, creamy or yellow, sometimes with mauvish tube, 4-6.5(-7) mm; tube 1-3(-3.5) mm, lobes 2.5-4 mm, reflexed. Faucal scales 1.5-2.5 x 1-1.2(-1.5) mm, exserted, oblong-trapeziform, emarginate at apex. Filaments elongating serially, 5-6 mm, inserted 0.5-1 mm below faucal scales. Anthers 0.8-1.1 mm; pollen yellow. Nutlets 7-9 x 8-10 mm at maturity, 1-4, depressed-ovoid, wingless, densely glochidiate.
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Perennial herb with annual stems from a woody rootstock, up to 1.5 m high. Leaves densely hairy, blade ovate to narrowly ovate, basal ones large, 140-230 x 65-130 mm, decurrent with petiole up to 300 mm long, upper stem leaves smaller, sessile, narrowly ovate, greyish, hairs on upper surface antrorse, those on lower surface retrorse. Flowers: ebracteate; inflorescence a branched panicle of 8-15-flowered, scorpioid cymes, elongating considerably in fruit; calyx deeply divided into 5 narrowly oblong lobes, ± as long as campanulate corolla tube; corolla white with fornices prominently exserted when the narrowly oblong lobes fold back; stamens exserted; Dec.-Apr. Fruit of 1 or 4 nutlets, wingless, densely glochidiate.
Perennial herb, with annual stems from a woody rootstock, up to 1.5 m high. Leaves densely hairy, blade greyish, hairs on upper surface antrorse, those on lower surface retrorse. Flowers in a branched panicle of 8-15-flowered, scorpioid cymes, elongating considerably in fruit. Calyx deeply divided into 5 narrowly oblong lobes, ± as long as campanulate corolla tube. Corolla white with fornices prominently exserted when the narrowly oblong lobes fold back. Stamens exserted. Flowering time Dec.-Apr. Fruit of wingless, densely glochidiate nutlets.
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