Melhania integra I.Verd.

Shrublet, 20-45 cm tall with several slender woody stems from a woody rootstock, laxly branched; branches shortly and densely tomentose, sometimes, in new growth reddish-brown lepidote stellate scales are obvious. Stipules subulate, 6-15 mm long. Leaves on flowering branches clustered towards the apex, entire (very rarely lower leaves shallowly toothed in part), finely and densely velvety tomentose on the upper surface, greyish tomentose beneath with reddish, lepidote, stellate scales usually obvious, especially on the nerves, narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, mostly 2-6.5 cm long and 6.4-1.2 cm broad, sometimes up to 1.8 cm broad, nerves prominent beneath, obscure above, basal nerves 3, rarely 5, base subrounded, apex subacute or rounded, mucronate; petiole 0.4-1 cm long, tomentose with a few to many reddish-brown, lepidote stellate scales obvious. Inflorescence axillary in the upper leaves, 1-3-flowered; peduncle 4-20 mm long, pedicels 3-14 mm long, both tomentose with scattered reddish-brown stellate scales obvious in parts. Epicalyx-bracts ovate acuminate, rounded to cordate at the base, about 12 mm long, 6 mm broad near the base, tomentose on both surfaces with the lepidote scales obvious on the outside. Calyx-lobes lanceolate, acuminate, about 15 mm long, 3.5 mm broad near the base, tomentose and lepidote without. Petals canary yellow, turning brownish at maturity, broadest at the apex, about 16 mm long, 10-14 mm broad at apex. Stamens with filaments 1 mm long, anthers 3-4 mm long, staminodes 9 mm long. Ovary subglobose, about 3 mm diam., white tomentose; style about 6-8 mm long, branches 1.5-3 mm long; ovules 7 in each locule. Capsule about 10 mm long, 8 mm diam., shortly tomentose and scaly, the scales bearing short hairs.