Small tree, with lenticellate, glabrous (in Panama?) branchlets. Leaves few-to several-jugate, glabrous, short-petiolate; the rachis stout, lenticellate, up to 40 cm. long or longer; leaflets elliptic (lowermost on leaf usually ovate or subovate), up to 20 cm. long or longer, 2-9 cm. wide, dull, apically attenuate-cuspidate, basally obtuse to rounded, with a gland below to one side on base of the midrib; petiolules stout, 3-6 mm. long. Inflorescence on older branchlets, condensed, bracteate, the bracts puberulent, broadly ovate to linear, several cm. long; com-mon peduncle 2-3 cm. long, tomentose; pedicels about 3-5 mm. long, pubescent. Flowers conspicuous, scarlet-red; bracteolar sheath relatively small, usually 2.5-3.0 cm. long, bilobed, tomentulose to tomentose, usually ferruginous; sepals (i.e. lobes) 4-5?, oblong to linear, up to 25 mm. long and 13 mm. wide, subglabrous, free, often caducous; petals 5, usually oblong, about 4 cm. long and 1-1.5 cm. wide, glabrous, clawed, claw about 1 cm. long; stamens 10-11, about 8 cm. long, gla-brous, connate below for about 2 cm.; ovary tomentose, stipitate, with style about 8 cm. long.
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