Herbs, rhizomatous. Rhizomes 2-10 cm or longer, 2.5-16 mm in diam.; internodes 3-17 mm. Leaves all basal; stipules triangular or nearly so, 4-16 × 2.5-10 mm; petiole 3-24 cm, 2-5 mm in diam., hirsute-villous; blade abaxially usually reddish, adaxially often with white spots along major veins, broadly ovate, suborbicular, or reniform, papery or thinly so, rugose, adaxially pilose-setose, basally 6-8-veined, tertiary veins reticulate and percurrent, base cordate, margin denticulate and ciliolate. Inflorescences axillary, flowers 5-21 in a dichasial cyme; peduncle 4-21 cm, glabrous to sparsely villous; bracts ovate, oblong, or ligulate, margin denticulate and ciliate or ciliolate. Staminate flowers: pedicel 0.7-2 cm, glabrous; tepals 4, pinkish or white; androecium zygomorphic; stamens 20-50; filaments subequal; anthers subemarginate at apex. Pistillate flowers: tepals 3, 2 outer, 1 inner, glabrous; ovary ellipsoid, 3-winged, 1-loculed with parietal placentation; wings unequal or subequal. Capsule nodding, ellipsoid, apex with persistent styles; lateral wings 2-3.5 mm tall; abaxial wing lunate or nearly so.
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