Scandent shrub or small tree 1–4.5 m. tall; young shoots at first adpressed ferruginous pubescent but soon glabrous, later rugulose, dark purplish and lenticellate.. Leaf-blades elliptic, oblong-elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 2–11 cm. long, 1.2–5.5 cm. wide, mostly broadly rounded at both ends, or slightly subcordate at the base, not coriaceous, glabrous above, obscurely pubescent beneath with pale hairs when young, later glabrescent, markedly glaucous; leaf-margin thickened; midrib impressed above and prominent beneath; venation closely reticulate; petiole 3–7 mm. long, pubescent when young.. Flowers almost leaf-opposed, l–2(–5), mostly on very short reduced branchlets, scented; pedicels 0.8–2.5 cm. long; bracteoles very small.. Sepals small, broadly triangular, 0.5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, pubescent, but essentially calyx reduced to a circular rim.. Petals yellow or creamy-yellow, white at base, thick, free, fleshy, the outer obovate-oblong, 4–7 mm. long, 2–2.7 mm. wide, the inner spathulate, 3.5–5 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, thickened at the apex, ferruginous puberulous on both sides.. Stamens 6, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide; connective broadly truncate at apex.. Carpels 7–8; ovary subcylindric, 1 mm. long, puberulous or glabrescent, 1–2(–3)-ovuled; stigma thickened, slightly bilobed.. Monocarps 2–8, dark and glaucous when young, red or orange when ripe, ellipsoid (if 1-seeded) or cylindrical, 0.65–2.3 cm. long, 5–6 mm. wide, 1–2(–3)-seeded, quite markedly constricted between the seeds, finely tuberculate-rugulose, glabrous; stipes 1.5–5 mm. long.. Seeds yellow-brown, ellipsoid, 7–9 mm. long, 4.5–5 mm. wide, rounded or sometimes flattened at the hilar end and with an eccentric horseshoe-shaped ridge bordering the flattening, the other end minutely apiculate.. Figs. 22/6, p. 91, & 23, p. 96.
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