Glabrous except for the young shoots, inflorescences and flowers shortly brown tomentose and the ovary and corolla usually clothed with silky hairs up to 2 mm long. Leaves opposite; lamina elliptic to ovate, 12-25 by 4-12 cm, cuneate to truncate at the base to a petiole 4-12 mm long, recurved at the margin, usually acuminate and acute at the apex, lustrous above, dull below; venation pinnate with the midrib and main laterals distinct above and prominent below. Inflorescencess few at the nodes and scattered along the epicortical runners; peduncle c. 2 mm long, dilated upwards, 2-4 mm wide at apex; central bracts ovate, 12-30(-40) mm long, 4-12 mm wide, acute, often with sutures not visible, later separating nearly to the base or splitting irregularly, orange or red; lateral bracts slender, acute, 1-10 mm long. Corolla in mature bud 40-65 mm long, slender, very gradually widened upwards, acute at apex, orange to deep red; tube in open flower 12-50 mm long, with petals reflexed and curled 10-16 mm below stigma. Anther 3-4 mm long, half to one third as long as the free part of the filament. Fig. 24.
Home