Herbs perennial, 16-50 cm high. Rhizomes strong, with many slender, long, fibrous roots. Stems erect, 1; basal nodes with 1 pair of scalelike leaves. Leaves opposite, usually 4; petioles 0.8-2 cm; leaf blade elliptic to broadly elliptic, ovate-elliptic, or ovate, 10-20 × 6-11 cm, rigidly papery, glandular mucronate, scurfy pubescent along veins abaxially, shiny green adaxially, sometimes small glandular punctate, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin coarsely serrate or crenate-serrate, apex acuminate; lateral veins 6-8; reticulate veins conspicuous. Spikes several (sometimes 1), branched, strong, terminal and axillary, 4-11 cm with peduncle; bracts ovate or nearly semiorbicular. Flowers sparsely arranged, white, small. Stamens 1-3, on outside of apical part of ovary; if 1, anther ovoid, 2-loculed; if 3(or 2), central anther 2-loculed, lateral anthers 1-loculed, much smaller than central anther; connectives ca. as long as thecae or slightly longer, rarely shorter than thecae. Ovary ovoid; style absent; stigma truncate. Drupes green, globose, 2.5-3 mm, minutely glandular punctate; stalk 1-2 mm. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct.
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