Scandent shrubs to lianas, innovations mostly laxly pubescent, indumentum sometimes persistent. Twigs slender, with dull dark violet bark finely longitudinally striate. Leaves in a spiral, petiolate. Stipules deltoid, c. 1 mm long, persistent, often inconspicuous. Leaf blade thinly to thickly coriaceous, c. 9-13 by 4-9 cm, index c. 1.6-2.2(-2.6); widest about the middle to somewhat lower; base acute to rounded, top acute to abruptly acuminate with a short tip; veins (3-)5-7(-10) on either side, reticulation more or less distinct; margin entire to crenate; surfaces dull, glabrous. Inflorescences racemes but mostly panicles, few to 30 cm long, axillary and terminal mostly combined, pubescent; bracts small, triangular; pedicels with 2 bracteoles above the base, articulated higher up. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic. Sepals subequal, 1-2 mm, covering a minor part of the bud, not persistent. Petals unequal, sessile, the posterior also outer pair c. 3-4 mm, symmetrical, the middle pair somewhat larger, asymmetrical, the inner, anterior one c. 7-10 mm, the base gibbose, the apical part wide, thus making a lip, in bud longitudinally rolled up, surface sometimes woolly above. Androecium equalling the smallest petals, stamens subequal, (2-)4 connate at the base and converging at the top but the posterior one apart; the two anterior ones at the base with a fleshy outgrowth into the sac of the odd petal; filaments broad, flat; inner locules longer than the outer ones, their thecal appendage small, single or bifid or double or vestigial; connective appendage about twice as long as the anther, triangular, brown-membranous. Gynoecium slightly exceeding the androecium, ovary sub-globose, sometimes hairy, with 3 placentas and many ovules; style S-curved, glabrous, stigma anterior, clavate. Fruit (see note) a capsule, elongate, 1¼-5 cm, with 3 leathery to woody valves. Seeds many, imbricately arranged, flat, with an irregularly elliptic wing; testa with a hard black inner layer and membranous yellowish outer layer.
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