Allocassine laurifolia (Harv.) N.Robson

Slender scrambling shrub or liana, 3-5 m high, unarmed, glabrous, without elastic threads in leaves and bark; bark greyish or light brown, periderm persistent with no sequential periderm formation observed; phellem 1-1.5 mm thick, equalling the inner bark in thickness, with conspicuous orange pigment in slash, surface ± smooth. Branchlets terete or flattened, greyish brown Leaves usually opposite, sub-opposite or tending to be alternate on young shoots, occasionally bracteose on climbing shoots; lamina elliptic to broadly elliptic to oblong, bluish green, glossy on both surfaces, (35-)60-90(-170) x (15-)30-50(-90) mm, base rounded to cuneate, apex rounded to retuse, rarely acute, margin entire or remotely glandular-crenulate, rigid coriaceous; venation (including reticulation) conspicuous on both surfaces, fine reticulation sometimes more conspicuous above, indistinctly brochidodromous with a tendency towards eucamptodromous; petiole 5-12 mm long; stipules minute, ± 1 mm long, ± triangular, brownish black, caducous. Inflorescences pedunculate, compact dichasial with flowers sessile, axillary, 1-10 per inflorescence, peduncle 10-20 mm long; bracts minute, bracteoles occasionally present. Flowers bisexual. 5-merous. ± 2 mm diam. Sepals greenish with reddish cilia, ovate, 2 x 1.5 mm thick, coriaceous, margin ciliolate. Petals yellow-green, narrowly obovate, ±3 x 2 mm, erect, sessile, apex rounded, margin entire. Stamens erect; filaments 2 mm long, flattened, arising from margin of disc with which they are united at the base, anthers ± 0.8 mm long, basifixed, introrse. Disc fleshy, entire. Ovary ± 1/3 immersed in and adnate to the disc, 2-locular with 2 erect collateral ovules per locule; styles ± 0.5 mm long; stigma inconspicuously lobed. Fruit baccate, red, ellipsoid, 25-32 x 18-20 mm, mesocarp fleshy. Seed black, narrowly ellipsoid. 15-20 x 5-8 mm postchalazal vascular bundles not observed, fleshy endosperm present; embryo erect, with cotyledons fleshy, narrowly elliptic.