Shrubs or treelets usually ca. 3 m tall; branchlets green, lenticellate; plants glabrous except for puberulent young inflorescences, bracts, and male sepals. Stipules linear-oblong [not seen] or ovate-triangular, (1.5-)2-3 mm; petiole 4-8 mm; leaf blade ovate or elliptic, 5-13 × 2-5 cm, leathery, adaxially glossy, base obtuse or rounded, sometimes slightly cordate, apex long acuminate; lateral veins 8-10 pairs. Inflorescences axillary glomerulate spikes, 1.5-4 cm; bracts ovate-triangular, margin membranous and ciliate, abaxially pubescent; buds acuminate. Male flowers: sepals 5, lanceolate, ca. 3 mm, puberulent to glabrous; petals 5, spatulate, ca. 1 mm, margin denticulate and emarginate; disk cup-shaped; stamens 5; filaments connate into a cylinder and surrounding rudimentary ovary; anthers oblong, ca. 1 mm; rudimentary ovary trigonous-ovoid, ca. 0.7 mm, papillose. Female flowers: pedicels to 1 mm or almost absent; sepals 5, ovate-triangular, ca. 3 mm; petals 5, rhomboid or obliquely quadrate, ca. 2 × 2 mm; disk annular, surrounding base of ovary; ovary globose; styles 3, bifid. Fruiting pedicel very short to almost absent; capsules trigonous, purplish red, ca. 1 cm, 3-valved when mature. Seeds ovoid, ca. 7 mm. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Jun-Aug.
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