Tree, up to 10 m high, or shrub. Twigs 0.8-1 cm in diam., dark purplish to greyish brown, densely and shortly fulvous-tomentose, glabrescent. Leaves imparipinnate, 7-14-jugate, up to 75 cm long, axial parts hairy like the young twigs; petiole terete, flattened towards the base, 5-13 cm long; pseudo-stipules orbicular to broad-ovate, 2-5 by 2.5-4 cm, deeply cordate at base, rounded or obtuse to short-acuminate at apex, penni-to reti-nerved, distinctly set off from the normal leaflets. Leaflets mostly about opposite, sessile or with up to 2 mm long petiolules, lanceolate to oblong, parallel-sided, 12-20 by 3.5-5 cm, index 3-5, perga-mentaceous, mostly greyish green above, greenish beneath, glabrous or above on midrib shortly fulvous-tomentose, on both faces with scattered, glandular-pitted warts; base oblique to equal-sided, cuneate or lower half rounded; apex tapering acuminate, acumen long, acute or obtuse; nerves 1-2 cm apart, angle to midrib 70-75°, straight to slightly curved, more or less distinctly looped and joined near or at some distance from the margin. Inflorescences terminal, pyramidal, c. 25 cm high, red, densely short-hairy to subglabrous; branches patent, short-stalked to sessile; cymes several-flowered; pedicels up to 5 mm long. Sepals deep rose red, sparsely ciliolate in the apical part, outer 2 ovate, 3.5-5 by 2.5-3 mm, inner 3 elliptic to orbicular, 4-5 by 2.5-5 mm, especially the inner ones rather thin and probably for the greater part peta-loid, sometimes more or less grading to the petals. Petals 4, 0.5 mm clawed, outside pink, towards the base more red, inside whitish, claw and base of blade ciliate, upper part sparsely ciliolate, further glabrous or outside appressed hairy, plate wide-rhomboid, 2.5 by 3.5 mm, scale bilobed or the lateral parts reflexed, the centre erect and hood-shaped, 2/5 as long as the blade. Disc glabrous or short-hairy. Stamens 7-10; anthers 2 mm. Ovary 3-celled, 3-angular-obovoid, 3-lobed, glabrous; stigma sessile, dome-shaped. Fruits 3-lobed, often 1 or 2 parts not developed, then style nearly basal, lobes spreading, ellipsoid, 3.2 by 2.2 cm, scabrous, glabrous, reported brown, yellow, orange, or purplish-red when ripe.
Home