Shrub with spreading to drooping stems to 1 m. or so; twigs slightly compressed, glabrous.. Petiole 3–10(–15) mm. long, grooved, the sides often crispate, the channel sometimes scurfy puberulous; lamina thin, coppery reddish when young, becoming fresh green, often with red veins, and a little more coriaceous, linear-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 3–13(–15) cm. long, 0.6–3(–5) cm. wide, often attenuate, acuminate at the apex, base cuneate, rounded or rarely slightly cordate, glabrous except sometimes at youngest unfolded stage, with 4–8 pairs of lateral nerves, the lower 2–4 often (but not always) strongly ascending.. Flowers 6–16(–20) per umbel; peduncle 1–5(–6) mm. long; pedicels (1–)2–5 mm. long; bract ovate-triangular from a shallow cup, 1–2 mm. long, slightly gibbous, ciliolate.. Receptacle 1–1.5 mm. long.. Calyx 0.5–1 mm. long, ciliolate.. Corolla (1.1–)1.5–2.5 cm. long, blue-grey with red lobes, inside tube blue-black; buds slightly inflated in lower part, narrow above vents to oblong-ellipsoid apical swelling (2–)2.5–3.5(–4) mm. long; tube (4–)6–12 mm. long, with V-slit to base, papillate inside especially along sutures; lobes erect, linear with spathulate tips, (7–)8–15 mm. long.. Filaments blackish below, green above, tightly coiled; tooth 0.5–1.2 mm. long; anthers 1.5–3 mm. long.. Berry bright red, obovoid, with prominent lobed disc, 6–9 mm. long, 3.5–5 mm. in diameter; seed orange.. Fig. 7.
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