A much-branched shrub up to 3 m. tall, with stiffly erect branches arising from near ground-level.. Bark peeling, brown, papery, green beneath.. Twigs purplish brown to almost black, pubescent in the vicinity of the nodes, exuding a clear juice when cut which soon reddens, and becomes black on drying.. Short shoots densely fulvous tomentose.. Leaves petiolate, 2–3 or sometimes more on axillary short shoots; leaf-blade broadly ovate to suborbicular in outline, shallowly 3–5-lobed, 1.5–5.5 cm. long, 1.5–6 cm. wide, with the lobes rounded-obtuse and subentire or indistinctly toothed, narrowly cordate, the median lobe with 3–5 pairs of lateral nerves, midrib and nerves scarcely prominent above or beneath, densely tomentose above and beneath, greyish yellow-green; petiole 0.4–2 cm. long, densely tomentose.. Stipular thorns straight, (0.2–)1–5 cm. long, rigid, sharply pointed, somewhat swollen at the base, pubescent at first, soon glabrescent, purplish brown or black.. Inflorescences axillary on the short shoots, subcorymbiform, up to 6.5 cm. long; axis densely buff tomentose; bracts ovate-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 3–9 mm. long, densely tomentose.. Male flowers: calyx 5-lobed, the lobes linear-lanceolate, 4–5(–8) mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide at the base, acutely acuminate, densely pubescent without, glabrous within, ± entire or rarely sparingly glandular-denticulate; petals ± connate at the base, spathulate, clawed, reflexed, 1.7–1.9 cm. long, 5–7 mm. wide, rounded-obtuse, adpressed pubescent without, glabrous within, creamy white; disc-glands cylindric-fusiform, upright, 1 mm. long; stamens 10, the filaments fused for most of their length, anthers 1.5 mm. long, in 2 whorls of 5, bright yellow.. Female flowers: calyx-lobes ± as in ♂, but larger (1–1.5 cm. long, 2–3 mm. wide at the base), and somewhat pubescent within; petals ± as in the ♂, but free, and becoming dull pink, persistent; disc-glands ovoid, 0.75 mm. long; ovary subglobose, 3 mm. long, 3 mm. diameter, slightly truncate, densely sericeous; styles united for ± one-third their length, 1 cm. long, stigmas capitate, bilobed.. Fruit trilobed, 2.5 cm. long, 3 cm. diameter, each lobe having a thick apical ridge, densely tomentose, green, tinged orange-pink at the apex, dehiscing septicidally.. Seeds ovoid, 1.4–1.7 cm. long, 1–1.2 cm. wide, dark brown-mottled, somewhat shiny, with a large fimbriate caruncle covering the apex.
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