Shrub to 5 m, fire tolerant? Bark fissured, corky, grey-brown. Stems red-velvety, glabrescent after 2-3 years. Leaves alternate; petiole 5-20 mm long; lamina lanceolate to narrowly obovate, 8-20 cm long, 6-17 mm wide, obtuse; margins recurved, obtusely serrate to entire; upper surface tomentose, rusty, glabrescent; lower surface tomentose, glabrescent on nerves. Inflorescence 7-14 cm long; involucral bracts thick, tomentose, persistent. Flowers pale blue-grey to mauve in late bud, with limb pale pink-brown in upper half, all becoming dull yellow when open; style pale yellow. Perianth 22-25 mm long including limb of 4-5 mm, appressed-pubescent outside, glabrous inside. Pistil straight or gently curved, 26-28 mm long, glabrous; pollen presenter 0.5-0.7 mm long, scarcely thicker than style. Old flowers soon falling. Follicles up to c. 60, turned somewhat upwards, narrowly elliptic, 12-16 mm long, 5-10 mm high, 5-8 mm wide; valves obliquely triangular, obtuse, smooth, closely tomentose. Seed obovate, 15-17 mm long; seed body obovate, 8-9 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, slightly rugose or smooth.
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