Glabrous or young parts scurfy. Leaves opposite, sometimes displaced; lamina ovate to elliptic, 10-20 by 5-10 cm, cuneate at the base to a petiole 10-20 mm long, attenuate and finally acute to rounded at the apex, lustrous or dull green above, dull and brownish below; venation pinnate with the midrib and the main laterals distinct on both sides and the midrib prominent below. Inflorescencess at the nodes, a subsessile involucrate capitate spike of 2-3(-4) decussate pairs of flowers; involucre 20-30 mm long, mostly yellow or green below and orange or red above, comprising 10-12 pairs of bracts, the longer ones keeled, mostly strongly recurved along the upper margin; floral axis c. 5 mm long; lateral bracts enclosing the flowers c. 12 mm long, keeled, acute. Corolla in mature bud 6-merous, 45-60 mm long, gradually widened upwards, winged above the middle to the acute or obtuse apex, mostly red, usually streaked with white or yellow; tube in the open flower 32-45 mm long, with the lobes reflexed and twisted 3-5 mm higher. Anther 4-5 mm long, spurred at the base, acute, about three fourths as long as the free part of the filament.
Home