Shrubs 0.5-1 m tall, with numerous stems arising from a persistent root-stock. Branches glabrous, dark brown. Branchlets thinly adpressed-pubescent. Basal shoots villous. Leaves in male plants up to 3.1 cm long, 3 mm broad, in female plants up to 4.5 cm long, 4 mm broad, in both sexes linear-oblanceolate, acute, mucronate, twisted at the base, glabrous. Involucral leaves in male plants neither much crowded nor concealing the head, similar to the stem, leaves but thinly pubescent towards the base; in female plants numerous, crowded and spreading, narrowing to an acute apex and pale green to ivory in colour. Male inflorescence 9 mm diam., globose, solitary' at the ends of short slender branchlets, fairly numerous, giving off a faint smell of honey and yeast. Basal bracts 5 mm long, 2 mm broad, 7 in number, lanceolate, acute, dark brown, ciliate, glabrous except for a few hairs near the apex. Floral bract 1.5 mm long, 0.8 mm broad, ovate, pubescent and ciliate above, surrounded by a few long hairs at the base. Floral bud 4.5-5 mm long, pubescent, apex yellow swollen and subquadrangular. Perianth tube 1.8 mm long, sparsely pubescent. Claw 1.8 mm long, slender, recurved 90° and over, sparsely pubescent. Limb 1.5 mm long, concave, hooked, glabrescent. Anther 1 mm long, somewhat curled upwards. Pollen a straight sided triangle in polar view with sides 2-7 µ, polar depth 20 µ. Stigma 1 mm long, clavate, entire, acting as a pollen presenter. Style 3.6-4 mm long, filiform, glabrous, narrower above. Flypogynous scales 1.5-1.7 mm long, acicular, yellow. Nectar seen at the apices of the scales. Female inflorescence 8 mm diam., globose, solitary, terminal, with the florets arranged in 8 spiral rows with about 20 cm each. Basal bracts very variable in length, the innermost 8 mm long, 3 mm broad, narrowly deltoid, acute, ciliate, sparsely pubescent. Floral bract 2-3 mm long, 4-4.5 mm broad, broadly elliptic, ciliate, short-pubescent. Floral bud 4 mm long, transversely compressed, laterally sparsely pubescent, apex yellow and not swollen. Perianth segments loosely imbricated forming a tube 3 mm long, laterals sparsely pubescent. Claw 1 mm long, recurved 90-180°, glabrous or pubescent. Limb 0.8 mm long, glabrous. Staminode 0.5 mm long, decumbent. Ovary 1 mm long, ovoid, glabrous. Style 3 mm long, glabrous, narrower below. Stigma 0.5 mm broad, oblique. Hypogynous scales 1.3-2 mm long, tapered, yellow. Receptacle 7 mm long, 2 mm diam., clavate. Mature female head indehiscent, 3.2 cm long, 2.2 cm diam., ellipsoid, glabrous when old, with bracts pubescent across the middle. Fruit 6.5 mm long, 6 mm broad, samaroid, dark brown, glabrous, slightly pitted.
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