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Shrubs, to 2.5–5 m, monoecious. Stems erect, dark brown, striate, much-branched, woody, glabrous; short shoots absent; latex watery, colorless in younger shoots, cloudy-whitish in older branches. Leaves persistent, ± evenly distributed on long shoots; stipules absent; petiole 1–5.5 cm, not stipitate-glandular; blade elliptic-ovate, obovate, lyrate, or panduriform, 7.5–15.3 × 2.9–12.5 cm, unlobed or shallowly 3-lobed, base rounded, cordate, or cuneate, margins entire (sometimes with 2–4 glands or hairs at base), apex acuminate, membranous to ± coriaceous, surfaces glabrous; venation pinnate (palmate if lobed). Inflorescences bisexual, terminal and subterminal, cymes; peduncle 5.2–21 cm; bracts 1–12 mm, margins entire, glabrous. Pedicels 2–8 mm. Staminate flowers: sepals distinct, ovate, 2.5–3(–4) × 1–1.7 mm, margins entire, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous; corolla bright red to scarlet or pink, rotate, petals distinct, 8.4–12.1 × 2.5–4.3 mm, abaxial surface glabrous, adaxial with tufts of hairs near base; stamens 10 in 2 whorls (5 + 5); filaments of each whorl connate 1/2–3/4 length, outer whorl 4–9 mm, inner whorl 5–12 mm. Pistillate flowers resembling staminate, but sepals 3.1–3.8 × 1.2–2.2 mm; petals 9–17 × 5–10 mm; carpels 3; styles connate 1/2 length, 3–4 mm. Capsules ovoid, 1–1.3 × 0.7–1.1 cm, explosively dehiscent. Seeds cream, mottled with red and black spots, ellipsoidal, 7–10 × 4–6.5 mm; caruncle relatively small, conspicuous. 2n = 22 (cult. Fla.).
Shrub ca 2-4 m high; branches and foliage glabrous or sparsely hirsutulous. Leaves entire or often with a pair of small acute lobes below the middle; petioles mostly 3-7 cm long; stipules nearly obsolete, not evident on mature leaves; blades ovate to elliptic, abruptly short-acuminate, palmatinerved with 5(-7) main veins at the rounded or subcordate base, 5-15 cm long, 2.5-8(-13) cm broad. Dichasia terminal or pseudo-axillary, often bisexual; peduncles ca 5-10 cm long; lower bracts lanceolate, mostly 2-5 mm long, entire or obscurely glandular-dentate. Staminate flowers with pedicels mostly 5-8 mm long, articulate near the top; calyx ca 2.5-3.5 mm long, lobed about halfway, the lobes blunt, entire, not imbricate; petals elliptic-obovate, bright red, adaxially hirsute at base (glabrous over most of inner face), 15-22 mm long; disc-segments 5, rounded, reddish, ca 0.5-0.7 mm wide; stamens 10, the filaments ca 5-7 mm long, connate over halfway into a column, the anthers linear to oblong-lanceolate, mostly 2.5-3 mm long; pistillode absent. Pistillate flowers with pedicels becoming 5-9 mm long, glabres-cent; perianth similar to the d; ovary glabrous, the styles ca 2.5 mm long, slender, bifid, the stigmata linear. Capsules subglobose-cylindric (truncate), trisulcate, ca 12-13 mm long and broad; seeds fuscous, mottled with dark specks, slightly com-pressed, 9.6-10 mm long, 5.1-5.8 mm broad, the caruncle bipartite, flabellate-lacini-ate, ca 2 mm long, 3 mm broad.
