A slender, semi-prostrate, spreading herb.. Stems green becoming brown, puberulous, with long internodes 6–9 cm. apart.. Ocreae 0.8–1.1 cm. long, appressed when young, becoming more open with age, puberulous, truncate, with a terminal fringe of setae 4–4.25 mm. long, the leaf inserted in the upper half but often near the middle.. Leaves petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, 5–5.5 × 1.5–2 cm., broadest at or a little below the middle, apically acuminate with a short terminal mucro, gradually narrowed and decurrent to the petiole, puberulous on the veins of both sides.. Petioles 1–1.5 cm. long.. Inflorescence slender, up to 30 cm. long.. Bracts 4–5 mm. long, 1–5 cm. apart, truncate but produced dorsally into a seta 3–4 mm. long, with 1–2 pairs of shorter, lateral setae.. Pedicels glabrous or minutely puberulous, exceeding the bracts by 3–4 mm.. Flowers 1–4 to each bract.. Tepals 4–5 mm. long, linear-oblong to obovate.. Styles yellow, 5 mm. long, connate for 2 mm. (only long styles seen).. Fruit fusiform, glabrous or with scattered papillae, 7–8 mm. long and almost as wide, with three central spreading prickles 2 mm. long on the angles, with or without intermediate, smaller prickles on the faces, the angles also sometimes winged and in the lower half sometimes with 1–2 small teeth on the angles which may not project beyond the wing.. Fig. 6/6 and 7.
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