Liana, lianescent shrub or shrub.. Stems and branches hollow; cross-section of the xylar cylinder circular or nearly so; branchlets hollow, often longitudinally grooved, densely brown or blackish velutinous, or densely brown or greyish tomentose (often with stiff hairs intermixed); similar indumentum present on stipules, petioles, and inflorescences, and often on the midrib and main lateral nerves as well.. Stipules (5–)9–15(–30) mm. long, deeply pinnatisect or at least dentate, very rarely entire.. Petiole (3–)4–10(–15) mm. long, (6–)12–20(–30) mm. long when united with peduncle; blade papery to thinly coriaceous, obovate-elliptic, (7–)12–25(–53) × (2.5–)5–11(–21) cm., base mostly cordate, subcordate, or obtuse, tip acute or shortly and acutely acuminate, the acumen up to ± 2 cm. long; midrib and the (6–)8–11(–15) pairs of lateral nerves often conspicuous; glands mostly few and inconspicuous.. Inflorescences up to 15 cm. in diameter, (5–)6–9(–10) times dichotomously branched; peduncle (0–)0.5–1.5(–3) cm. long, usually adnate to the petiole, often completely so, sometimes absent and branched initially in the axil; lowermost branches up to 5.5 cm. long; lower forks usually without a terminal flower; bracts and bracteoles linear-subulate to triangular, up to 10 mm. long, the lower sometimes pinnatisect or dentate like the stipules; pedicel articulated above the middle, up to 11 mm. long, the upper part (0.5–)1–2(–2.5) mm. long, tomentose, sometimes with a few long hairs as well.. Sepals reflexed, ovate-elliptic to oblong, 2–3(–4) × 1–1.5(–2) mm., rounded to obtuse or ± acute, tomentose outside, inside glabrous or puberulous in upper part.. Petals erect to spreading, more rarely reflexed, ± obovate-spathulate in outline, (2–)2.5–3(–4) mm. long, split ± 1.5 mm., outside usually with a few hairs below split, inside glabrous.. Stamens usually erect or nearly so, 2.5–3.5(–5) mm. long, glabrous.. Pistil 2.5–3(–4) mm. long, 3-locular, densely woolly; style glabrous.. Fruits subglobose to obovoid-ellipsoid, rounded or obtuse at base, obtuse, rounded, or shortly apiculate at apex, ± 2–3.5 cm. long, 1.5–2.5 cm. in diameter, 1–3-seeded, densely tomentose or velvety.. Seeds subellipsoid, up to 22 mm. long and ± 13 mm. in diameter.
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