Plants tall shrubs to small trees 3-5 met. high, with a stout stem dichotomously branched and rebranched low down or higher up, each branchlet terminating in a distichous leaf cluster. Leaves about 12-16 in a distichous cluster, basally sheathing, broadly linear to lorate, averaging 30 cm long, 4 cm broad, the apices rounded, both surfaces dull green to glaucous-green, neither spotted nor lineate, flat or slightly convex; margins with a very slight cartilaginous edge, minutely dentate in upper third, sometimes almost entire. Inflorescence one only from a leaf cluster, simple, up to 50 cm long. Peduncle flattened low down, terete upwards, with a few sterile bracts below the raceme; the lowest sterile bracts up to 14 mm long, 12 mm broad at base, thin, scarious, many-nerved. Racemes cylindric, slightly acuminate, laxly 25-30-flowered, 15-25 cm long; the buds 5-10 mm distant, the open flowers 10-15 mm distant, unicoloured scarlet. Bracts ovate-deltoid, the lowest 8 mm long, 6 mm broad at base, brown, 3-5-nerved. Pedicels lowest 10 mm long, reddish-brown, slightly shorter upwards. Perianth scarlet, cylindric, slightly trigonous, up to 55 mm long; outer segments free for one-third their length (tube about 35 mm), obscurely 3-5-nerved, the nerves turning greenish at apex, the apices sub-acute, slightly spreading; inner segments free and not cohering dorsally to the outer, broader than the outer, with broad white border and with a 2 mm broad orange keel throughout, turning green at apex, the apices more obtuse, more spreading. Filaments lemon-coloured, flattened, the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance of the 3 outer. Anthers at length exserted 1-2 mm Stigma at length exserted 3-5 mm. Ovary pale green, 8 mm long, 7 mm diam., finely 6-grooved.
More
Small trees or large shrubs up to ±4 m tall; stems much-branched. Leaves ±16-20 per branch, distichous, lorate, obtuse, ±300 x 35 mm, blue-grey-green, margins entire or with minute dark maroon-brown teeth. Inflorescence racemose, lax; bracts ±7 x 4 mm. Flowers scarlet, 35-45 mm long; pedicels 7-11 mm long. Anthers exserted 1-2 mm. Ovary green, ±8 x 7 mm; style exserted 2-5 mm. Fruit pale buff, ±20 x 16 mm. Seeds winged, dark brown to black.
Small, stout, succulent tree, 3-5 m, branching dichotomously, without persistent dried leaves. Leaves distichous, dull green to glaucous-green, without spots, broadly linear to lorate, apex rounded, ± 30 cm long; margins minutely dentate in upper third or almost entire. Racemes cylindric, lax, simple, to 50 cm long. Flowers scarlet, to 55 mm long; stamens and stigma exserted.
Home
