Shrubs up to 1.6 m tall, erect, branched, arising from a single stem at ground level. Branches scattered, erect, clothed with a short crisped erect pubescence, somewhat reddish. Leaves of male plants up to 3 cm long, 0.5 cm broad, of female plants up to 4 cm long, 0.65 cm broad, in both sexes oblanceolate-linear, sub-obtuse, with a blunt red mucro, narrowing towards the base, thick, coriaceous, sub-scabrous, veinless, sparsely villous or glabrescent, patulate-erect. Involucral leaves few in number, similar to the stem leaves, becoming pale and smaller towards the head, not concealing the head although exceeding it somewhat. Male inflorescence 1.3 cm long, 1.2 cm diam., globose, solitary, terminal, giving off a sweetish yeasty smell. Basal bracts 3.5 mm long, 2.6 mm broad, about 10 in number, ovate, apices often pseudo-apiculate, short ciliate, glabrescent. Floral bract 1.7 mm long, 1.5 mm broad, ovate, sub-acute, ciliate and short-pubescent above, densely pubescent below. Floral bud 5 mm long, glabrous, apex clavate, bent below, yellow or red in colour. Perianth tube 2 mm long, glabrous. Claw 1.8 mm long, 9labrous, recurved 180° and over. Limb 1.8 mm long, spoon shaped, hooked, glabrous. Anther 1.4 mm long, decumbent. Pollen triangular in polar view with sides 38 µ long, apices swollen, polar depth 20 µ. Stigma abortive, 1.3 mm long, entire, clavate, acting as a pollen presenter. Style 3.8 mm long, filiform glabrous, narrower above. Hypogynous scales 1.3 mm long, linear, stout Nectar seen at the apices of the hypogynous scales. Receptacle 1.1 cm long 3.2 mm diam., narrowly clavate. Female inflorescence 1.2 cm long, 9 mfi diam., solitary, terminal, ovoid, with the florets in 8 spirals of 5 or 15 cm each giving off a yeasty smell. Basal bracts 4 mm long, 3 mm broad, about 11 in number, similar to the male. Floral bract 3 mm long, 3.7 mm broad, sub-orbicular short, ciliate, densely short-pubescent. Floral bud 3.4 mm long, transversel compressed, green, glabrous except across the middle where sparsel pubescent, narrower above, yellow or red in colour. Perianth segments imbrica ted forming a tube up to 2.6 mm long, sparsely pubescent above. Claw 1 m long, glabrous, recurved 180°. Limb 0.7 mm long, glabrous, acute, hooked. Staminode 0.4 mm long, anterior absent or rudimentary. Ovary 0.6 mm long, ovoid, winged above, glabrous. Style 3.2 mm long, filiform, narrowing below, dorsally inserted, glabrous. Stigma 0.5 mm broad, oblique, cleft. Hypogynous scales 1.4 mm long, stout, tapered at the apex. Nectar seen at the throat of th perianth tube. Receptacle 1.1 cm long, 3 mm diam., narrowly clavate. Mature female head indehiscent, 2.2 ± 0.6 cm long, 1.6 ± 0.1 cm diam., ellipsoid, with bracts tomentose, convex in the middle and indented below. Fruit 5 mm long, 6 mm broad, compressed, emarginate, winged, dark brown, sparsely pitted.
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