Shrubs, the branchlets thick, furfuraceous at first, glabrate. Leaves sessile or subsessile, the petioles broad, to 3 mm long, marginate; leaf blades membranaceous, entire, oblanceolate or oblanceolate-oblong, 10-21 cm long and 2-7 cm wide, acuminate apically, rounded basally, subamplexicaul, lep-idote at first with closely appressed scales, glabrate above, punctate, the costa impressed above, the primary nerves 18-30 pairs, shallowly impressed above, elevated and conspicous beneath, the lateral nerves anastomosing into a distinct submarginal vein. Inflorescences terminal, bipinnately paniculate, small, furfuraceous, pedunculate, the lower bracts foliaceous, deciduous early, the lateral branches short, thick, to 1 cm long, spur-like. Flowers 5-merous, in glomerules, sessile or nearly so, the short pedicels thick; buds enclosed by the bracts; calyx furfuraceous, the sepals thick with a hyaline margin, This content downloaded from 192.104.39.2 on Tue, 7 May 2013 17:30:52 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions322 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN [VOL. 58 ovate-orbicular, 2.2-2.5 mm long, ciliate, black-punctate; petals (in bud) connate basally, elliptic, acute, conspicuously punctate; filaments short (in bud), the anthers thick, lanceolate-oblong (in bud), acute; ovary glabrous, the ovules few, the style punctate, equaling the petals. Fruit subglobose, 5-6 mm in diameter (dry), punctate with small dispersed black glands.
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