Herb, erect, bushy, sometimes somewhat woody below, 0.30-1.2 m. high, the hairs usually simple, the stems glabrous except a row of hirsute-arachnoid hairs decurrent from the base of the petioles. Leaves rather long-petiolate, the petiole 0.7-1.6 cm. long, hirsute-arachnoid above and glabrous or nearly so beneath, the stipules subulate, shorter than the petioles, ca. 4-5 mm. long, ciliate; blade lance-olate to narrowly lanceolate, rounded at the base, acute to long-acuminate at the apex, 3-8 cm. long and 0.9-2.5 cm. wide, membranous, the margins irregularly serrate and ciliolate, glabrous or nearly so on both sides except along the hirtellous nerves, 5-palminerved, the nervation slightly prominent beneath. Flowers oppositi-folious, generally geminate, the pedicel shorter than the petiole, ca. 3-5 mm. long, hirsute-arachnoid; sepals 5, narrowly linear, long-acuminate, 7.5-9.5 mm. long and 1-1.5 mm. wide, very loosely hirsute to hirtellous without, glabrous within; petals 5, spatulate, rounded, 5.5-8 mm. long and 2-3 mm. wide, yellow, glabrous; stamens numerous, the filaments free to more or less long-connate, ca. 5-7 mm. long, the anthers somewhat arcuate, ca. 0.6-0.7 mm. long; ovary narrowly oblong, more or less 3-angled, ca. 1.7-2 mm. long and 0.7-0.8 mm. in diam., shortly serice-ous or rarely glabrescent, 3-celled; style more or less 3-angled, ca. 1.5-2.5(-4) mm. long, glabrous; stigma peltate, shortly papillate. Capsule erect, linear, cylin-drical, slightly 3-sulcate, long-caudate-acuminate at the apex, 3-6 cm. long and ca. 2 mm. in diam., 3-celled, the valves chartaceous and glabrous or nearly so at maturity; seeds numerous, polygonal, ca. 1.5 mm. long, the testa black.
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