Shrubs or woody vines, to 6 m tall. Twigs stout, with ridges, densely rust-colored villous, eventually glabrescent. Stipular spines 2-5 mm, thick, often recurved, trichomes in proximal half like on those of branches. Petiole 0.6-1.5 cm; leaf blade elliptic, oblong, or sometimes obovate, 5-9 × (2.5-)3-5 cm, leathery, abaxially densely rust-colored villous, adaxially dark green and nearly glabrous except midvein, midvein abaxially raised and adaxially almost flat to slightly impressed, secondary veins 5-7 on each side of midvein, abaxially raised, and adaxially gradually impressed toward margin, reticulate veins abaxially not obvious and adaxially obviously slightly impressed, base broadly cuneate to subcordate, margin ± revolute, apex acute and with a 2-8-mm tip. Inflorescences terminal, corymbs, 3-4 cm wide, 3-10-flowered; peduncle absent. Pedicel 2-3 cm, ca. 2 mm in diam., with very dense trichomes. Sepals ca. 1.5 × 0.6-1 cm; sepals of outer whorl concave, almost covering inner whorl, leathery, outside densely rust-colored villous, inside glabrous; sepals of inner whorl with membranous margin. Petals white [to purple], obovate, ca. 2 × 1.5 cm, proximally white pubescent and outside especially obviously so. Stamens ca. 75; filaments ca. 2.5 cm; anthers 1.5-1.7 mm. Gynophore 2-3.5 cm, white villous near base; ovary ovoid, ca. 3 mm, apically smooth and glabrous, 1-loculed; placentae 4; ovules many. Fruit unknown. Fl. Feb-Mar.
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