Vines, shrubs, or rarely small trees, 3-6(-10) m tall, 3-15 cm d.b.h. Stem with many stipular spines; branches spineless or with small recurved stipular spines; new twigs rust-colored, densely tomentose, soon glabrescent, without or with tiny stipular spines. Petiole 5-10 mm, trichomes like those on new branches; leaf blade narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, broadest in middle or slightly basally, 4-13 × 2-6 cm, 2-2.5 × as long as wide, membranous and densely rust-colored shortly tomentose when young but herbaceous to subleathery and glabrescent when old, often yellowish green when dry, midvein abaxially slightly raised and adaxially often impressed from central part basally, secondary veins 5-7 on each side of midvein and raised on both surfaces, reticulate veins obvious, base cuneate to broadly cuneate and decurrent on petiole, apex often constricted, acuminate, and with a 0.5-1 cm tip. Inflorescences superaxillary rows, 2-5-flowered. Pedicel (1-)1.4-1.8 cm, with proximal ones shortest. Sepals broadly elliptic, 5-6 × ca. 3 mm, ± equal, outside and inside and shortly tomentose but glabrescent, margin ciliate, apex acute. Petals white, obovate, 7-10 × 2.5-3 mm, outside glabrescent, inside tomentose, margin hyaline. Stamens 20-28(-35); filaments 2-2.5 cm; anthers ca. 1 mm. Gynophore (1.2-)1.7-2.3 cm; ovary ovoid, ca. 1 mm, 1-loculed; placentae 2. Fruit black to purplish black, globose, 0.8-1.5 cm in diam., scabrous; stipe ca. 0.5 mm thick. Seeds 1-5 per fruit, brown, 5-7 × 4-5 × 3-4 mm, smooth. Fl. Jan-Apr, fr. May-Aug.
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