Scandent shrub or climber, up to 10 m high. Branches 3-10 mm ø, sulcate, twisted, glabrous. Leaves thin-chartaceous, lanceolate sometimes ovate in outline, (5.5-) 12-14 by (2.5-) 5.5-7 cm; apex acuminate or cuspidate; base cordate, sinus 7-20 mm deep, 12-20 mm wide, auricles rounded at the base; glabrous above, loosely puberulous beneath; basal nerves 2 (-3) pairs, palmate, slightly elevated below, distinct above, inner pair of nerves ascending obliquely and slightly curved inward, up to c. ⅔ of the blade; veins usually loosely reticulate, some transverse, rather fine, distinct beneath, faint above; petiole 2-6.5 cm, glabrous. Inflorescences in the axils of foliage leaves, spiciform, up to c. 3.5 cm long, internodes very short or obscure, sparsely puberulous or almost glabrous; bracts lanceolate, 2-4 mm long, shortly hairy on both surfaces. Pedicel and ovary 9-12 mm, sparsely minutely hairy. Perianth green, red and light grey, straight, sparsely shortly hairy outside, glabrescent or almost glabrous; utricle broad-ovoid or subglobose, 3-6 by 2.5-6 mm, not stiped, sparsely hairy inside, with 2 ellipsoid, glandular bodies; tube 2.5-5 by 1 mm, short-fimbriate inside; limb 1-lipped, narrow-lanceolate to linear, 11-12 by 2-3 mm, veins loosely reticulate, rather faint, glandular hairs usually at the lower half of the upper surface. Style column c. 1 mm long, obscurely 6-lobed, with a distinct, annular ring. Stamens 6; anthers oblong, c. 0.3 mm long. Capsules oblong-obovoid, 1.7-2.5 by c. 1.2 cm, 6-ridged, distinctly transversely rugose outside (marked by the seeds). Seeds ovate, c. 5 by 4 mm, not winged, granulate on both surfaces.
Home