Shrub 1-2 m. or tree to 8 m. tall; stems smooth, puberulent to glabrate; ocreae membranaceous, 1 cm. long, truncate, puberulent to ferrugineous pilose or with glandular excretions;-petioles arising from the base of the ocreae, 1-1.5 cm. long, ferrugineous pilose, puberulent or glabrate; blades lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate or oblong lanceolate, acuminate at the apex, cuneate or almost rounded at the base, 11 X 4, 13 X 3.5, 17 X 6 to 24 X 7 cm. long and wide, subcoriaceous, dark green above and pale gray-green below when fresh, drying black and shiny above and dull opaque below, flat, pilose, puberulent to glabrate below, primary veins 13 to 20 on each side, crispose-pilose in the axils of the veins below, on the midrib or glabrate; inflorescence 15-29 cm. long, nodules distinct and separate, peduncle 2-4 cm. long, rachis pilose, puberulent or glabrate, angular, striate, expanding below each flower cluster, staminate flowers borne singly but subtended by a series of imbricate ocreolae or in clusters of 2-5 flowers each with a single ocreola, pistillate flowers generally borne singly, bracts ovate, acute to acuminate, puberu-lent, ocreolae membranaceous, puberulent, or pilose-ciliate on the margin, pedicels shorter than the ocreolae, to 1 mm. long, hypanthium campanulate to 1 mm. long, perianth lobes ovate, 1 mm. long, puberulent or glabrous, or with glandular excre-tions appearing as scales, fertile filaments to 1.5 mm. long, exserted, fertile pistil 1 mm. long, styles 2 or 3; fruit subglobose, strongly trigonous, attenuate at both ends, 6-8 mm. wide at the middle, perianth lobes surrounding '2 to 23 of the fruit, fruiting perianth fleshy, bright or dull red often white when fresh, black when dry; achene chestnut brown to pale tan, shiny, strongly trigonous.
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