Pavetta abyssinica Fresen.

Bush or small tree, sometimes climbing, 1–7(–9) m. tall; young branches glabrous or pubescent, older branches covered with buff or greyish bark.. Leaf-blades drying blackish or occasionally green, elliptic or less often broadly elliptic, oblong-elliptic or narrowly obovate, 3.5–16(–18) cm. long, 1.4–6.5(–7.7) cm. wide, apex acuminate, base cuneate, slightly shiny to shiny above, glabrous or rarely pubescent above, glabrous, with a few spreading hairs along the nerves, or rarely pubescent beneath; bacterial nodules dot-shaped to elliptic or sometimes linear, along the nerves or scattered; petiole 0.2–1.5 cm. long, entirely glabrous, puberulous above or less often pubescent; stipules drying translucent brown or rarely opaque, truncate, (0.2–)0.3–1 cm. long, usually aristate, membranous to papery, caducous.. Corymbs terminal on lateral branches 0.9–18.4 cm. long bearing 2–5 leaf-bearing or naked nodes along their length, moderately compact to lax, 1.8–5.5 cm. across; primary inflorescence-branches 0.2–1.3 cm. long, glabrous, puberulous or less often pubescent; secondary and occasionally tertiary branches present; pedicels (1–)2–9 mm. long, glabrous to puberulous or rarely pubescent; bracts brown, 2–7 mm. long, very thinly membranous to membranous; bracteoles conspicuous or inconspicuous.. Calyx glabrous, occasionally with very few hairs or less often pubescent; tube 1–2 mm. long; limb-tube (0.5–)1–3 mm. long, distinctly wider than tube; lobes ± subulate, sometimes widened at the base, 0.5–4(–5) mm. long (or 7–12 mm. long in one Ethiopian variety).. Corolla-tube 0.8–2.2 cm. long (or 2.5–3.7 cm. long in 3 Ethiopian varieties), glabrous or rarely with short hairs outside, not bearded at throat; lobes ± oblong, 0.4–1 cm. long, up to 3 mm. wide, acuminate.. Fruit black, up to 1 cm. in diameter, shiny, glabrous; calyx-limb persistent.. Seeds blackish brown, 5 mm. wide, rugulose on convex face.

It is a tropical plant.