Woody shrubs to 2 m. tall, apical portions of branches densely wooly or at least with tomentose lines decurrent from the paired nodes above. Leaves elliptic, sessile or subsessile, acute at the apex, attenuate at the base, 3-14 cm. long, 0.8-3.0 cm. wide, both surfaces puberulent to strigose, the costa glabrous to brown-strigose beneath, the submarginal vein sometimes conspicuous, sometimes bearing brown strigose hairs, the margin entire; stipules somewhat persistent. Cymes gathered into terminal bracteate racemiform or paniculiform clusters; flowers decussate, infra-interbracteal; bracts lanceolate, to 4 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, puberulent, coarsely ciliate, caducous; peduncle 0.75-1.0 mm. long; pedicel 1-5 mm. long; bracteoles 2, minute. Hypanthium ampullaceous, 4.0-7.5 mm. long, median diameter 0.75-1.5 mm., oblique at the orifice, the spur straight to recurved, densely strigose or hirsute, sometimes insect-infested and-becoming swollen and bladdery. Petals 6, 1.25-2.0 mm. long, 0.25-1.25 mm. wide, pink to violet. Stamens 11, the anterior 9 alternately unequal, antesepalous exserted, antepetalous included to slightly exserted, the filaments villous except for the 3 anterior antesepalous, or all glabrous; disc unilateral, strongly reflexed. Ovary broadly ovoid, 1.5-2.5 mm. long, villous; style 2.75-5.5 mm. long, villous, exserted. Seeds 4-6, suborbicular to orbicular, 1.0-1.5 mm. long, 1.0-1.5 mm. wide, emarginate to slightly marginate.
Home