Bush, undershrub or small tree 0.9-2.4 m. tall; young growth ferruginous hairy, soon glabrous.. Leaves alternate; leaf-blades narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 8.5-19.4 cm. long, 3.1-6.3 cm. wide, acute or acuminate to long-acuminate, cuneate, margin slightly recurved, appearing thickened, irregularly crenulate to serrate or sometimes almost entire in W. Africa, membranous, glabrous except for ferruginous hairs along midrib, punctate on both surfaces; main nerves distinct, 8-13(-17) on either side of midrib; petiole grooved above, 4-12 mm. long, ferruginous hairy when young, soon glabrous.. Inflorescence at nodes below leaves or axillary, with clusters of 2-5 pedicellate flowers on short stout peduncles, clothed with many minute scale-like bracts which are densely ferruginous hairy, lanceolate, acuminate, minutely ciliate and± 2.5 mm. long; pedicels 2.5-14 mm. long, slender, expanded towards apex, glabrous or minutely sparsely hairy.. Flower hermaphrodite or female,(4-)5(-6)-merous; buds long-triangular, pointed, with contorted petal-lobes.. Calyx cup-shaped, up to 2.5 mm. long, usually with dark markings, glabrous; tube±1 mm. long; lobes ovate and acute to rounded and obtuse with minutely ciliate margins.. Corolla white, pinkish white, pink or pink with red spots, up to 5 mm. long; tube less than 1 mm. long; lobes spreading in fully-expanded flower, ovate.. Stamens exserted; filaments±1 mm. long, united at base; anthers dorsifixed, punctate dorsally or not, erect, triangular, mucronate, at first forming an upright cone in the centre of the flower, 3 mm. long.. Ovary ± globose, minutely ferruginous hairy or glabrous; placenta obovoid, broader than long, apiculate; style longer than stamens, jointed at base or not, scurfy, with or without dark spots.. Fruit globose, pendent, yellow-red with raised dark spots, 5-7 mm. in diameter, with persistent calyx and style-base, glabrous, 1-seeded.. Seed 4-5 mm. in diameter.. Fig. 5
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