Gardenia sootepensis Hutch.

Trees, 7-10 m tall, often with gelatinous secretions; branches with both developed and shortened internodes, somewhat compressed to angled or subterete, densely puberulent, pilosulous, or tomentulose, becoming glabrescent. Leaves opposite; petiole 0.6-1.2 cm, puberulent or tomentulose; blade drying papery or thinly leathery, obovate, obovate-elliptic, broadly elliptic, or elliptic-oblong, 7-29 × 3-16 cm, adaxially puberulent or pilosulous to glabrous, abaxially densely tomentose, base rounded to obtuse or cuneate, apex shortly acuminate with tip acute or obtuse; secondary veins 12-20 pairs, in abaxial axils often with densely pilosulous domatia; stipules calyptrate, conical, 0.5-1 cm, sericeous outside, densely puberulent or tomentulose inside, apical portion triangular and caducous, basal portion truncate to broadly rounded and usually persisting with leaves and sometimes becoming hardened. Flowers pseudoaxillary usually near branch apices, solitary; peduncle 1-1.5 cm, puberulent. Calyx densely puberulent to pilosulous externally; ovary portion ellipsoid, smooth, 5-6 mm; limb spathaceous, 13-15 mm, splitting along one side for 2/3-3/4 of its length, inside sericeous, often viscid or mucilaginous. Corolla yellow or white, salverform; tube 50-70 × 3-5 mm, cylindrical, outside sparsely puberulent, inside glabrous; lobes 5, broadly obovate, 40-50 × 20-30 mm, glabrous on both surfaces, obtuse to acute. Berry ellipsoid or ellipsoid-oblong, 2.5-5.5 × 1.5-3.5 cm, puberulent, smooth or with 5 or 6 longitudinal lines or very weak ridges, leathery to hard; seeds suborbicular, flattened, 3-4 mm in diam., foveolate. Fl. Apr-Aug, fr. Jun-Apr.

It is a tropical plant.