Biophytum crassipes Engl.

Perennial herb, with a thickened woody brown rootstock; rootstock 1–2 cm. long, 1–1.5 cm. in diameter, truncate, simple or divided to bear up to 4 rosettes of leaves ± at ground-level; taproot vertical, subwoody, up to 2 mm.in diameter.. Leaves shortly petiolate, 6–18 cm. long and 13–15 mm. wide, 6–17-jugate; rhachis sparsely pilose or glabrate; leaflets obliquely subcircular, obovate or subreniform, 2.5–11 mm. long, 2–7 mm. wide, the terminal ones the largest in mature leaves, rounded at the apex, truncate at the base, glabrous except at the ciliate margin, paler and prominently nerved beneath; lateral nerves in 4–6 pairs, spreading and bifurcating towards the margin.. Flowers orange-yellow or reddish, in 4–6-flowered pedunculate pseudumbels; peduncles shorter or slightly longer than the leaves, erect and appressed hairy; bracts linear-lanceolate, 1.5–3 mm. long, long-acuminate, 1–3-nerved, pubescent; pedicels slender, 2–4(–6) mm. long, mostly hidden by the bracts, pubescent.. Sepals linear-lanceolate, (3.5–)5–6 mm. long, 5–9-nerved, acute, pubescent.. Corolla up to 9 mm. long, glabrous or with white to brown hairs in the throat; petals narrowly cuneate, rounded to retuse at apex.. Filaments shortly connate at the base.. Ovary deeply 5-lobed; styles hairy, of varying length in relation to the filaments, making the flowers trimorphic hetero-stylous; stigmas laciniate.. Capsule ovoid-ellipsoid, 2–3 mm. long, glabrous.. Seeds subglobose, small, ± 0.5 mm. long, transversely tuberculate, brown.. Fig. 3/A.