Woody herb or subshrub (? rarely a small tree-see note) with mostly a single straggling? annual stem ± 1-1.5 m. tall, often flowering when quite leafless, arising from a large tuberous root; stem pale buff-brown with purplish tinge, with even youngest parts glabrous or with microscopic indumentum, slender, about 5.5 mm. wide, longitudinally wrinkled; leaf-scars 2-4 mm. diameter.. Leaves bipinnate, ± clustered at apex, up to 35 cm. long, glabrous even when very young; stipules and stipels well developed, ± linear, thickened, ± 2 mm. long; pinnae in 4-6 pairs; leaflets 5 or more, very pale yellow-green, elliptic to obovate, (0.9-)2.7(-3) cm. long, 0.5-1.6(-2.0) cm. wide, petiolulate, scarcely apiculate at apex, obtuse or rounded to cuneate at the base, not very thin.. Inflorescences 4-5, clustered at apex of stem and/or more scattered lower down on abbreviated branchlets, 5-6 cm. long; axes glabrous; peduncle 1.5-3.5 cm. long; true pedicels above joint 1-1.5 mm. long; apparent stalks 1-1.5 cm. long.. Flowers zygomorphic; mature buds 1.5 cm. long.. Sepals green, flushed with red, narrowly oblong, 1-1.4 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide, obtuse, puberulous at apex but otherwise glabrous.. Petals yellowish red, ± spathulate, straight or bent, 1.4 cm. long, 4 mm. wide.. Stamens 6.5-mostly 10-11 mm. long; anthers 1.5 mm. long; staminodes 5.5-mostly 9-11 mm.; both stamens and staminodes ± appendaged at the base and hairy.. Ovary glabrous, 2 mm. long, with stipe 2-3 mm. and style 5-6 mm. long, gently curved.. Fruits purplish brown with waxy bloom, 11.5-20.5(-25) cm. long, 1-1.4(-2) cm. wide, each valve with 2 grooves.. Seeds 2.5-3.8 cm. long overall, with fertile part 12-15 × 8 mm. the central area of 6-9 × 4-5 mm., with longitudinal raised ridges and ± lateral ridges or smooth or very finely foveolate, reticulate, with 3 conspicuous wings, mostly ± joined at one end of seed but with deep sinus at other end.. Fig. 2/1, 2, 9.
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