Monoecious glabrous rather weak shrub up to 2.5 m.. Orthotropic stems angular when young, later becoming subterete. Plagiotropic shoots seldom exceeding 10 cm. in length, angular. Brachyblasts present, co-axillary with the plagiotropic shoots, later themselves each giving rise to one or more secondary plagiotropic shoots.. Cataphylls linear-lanceolate, 1.5 mm. long, dark reddish brown. Cataphyllary stipules triangular, 1 mm. long.. Leaves of the plagiotropic shoots subdistichous; petioles 0.5–1 mm. long; blades ovate-elliptic, 1–2.5 cm. long, 0.5–1.5 cm. wide, obtuse or rounded at the apex, rounded at the base, membranaceous, lateral nerves 5–7 pairs, not prominent above, scarcely so beneath, dull green above, slightly glaucous beneath.. Stipules triangular-lanceolate, 1 mm. long, dull brownish green with narrow white hyaline margins.. Male flowers usually solitary per axil in the proximal half of the plagiotropic shoots, ♀ usually solitary, or occasionally with an attendant ♂, in the distal half.. Male flowers: pedicels capillary, up to 5 mm. long; sepals 6, obovate, 1.5 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, the 3 outer obtuse, the 3 inner subacute, with a median green band on either side of the midrib, and white hyaline margins; disc-glands 6, free, turbinate, slightly concave above, ± smooth; stamens 3, the filaments united into a column 1 mm. high, anthers ± sessile, transversely ovate, 0.3 mm. across, thecae hippocrepiform, transversely dehiscent.. Female flowers: pedicels 1 cm. long, extending to 1.5 cm. in fruit, slender, perceptibly distally dilated; sepals 6, ovate-elliptic, 2 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide, accrescent to 3 mm. long in fruit, obtuse, with a median green band on either side of the midrib, and white hyaline margins which may become streaked with pinkish purple in fruit; disc thick, shallowly 6-lobed, the lobes slightly crenulate; ovary sessile, subglobose, 1 mm. diameter, smooth; styles 0.75 mm. long, connate at the base, divaricate, bifid, stigmas subcapitate, recurved.. Fruit subglobose, 1.5 mm. long, 2 mm. diameter, smooth, purplish.. Seeds 1.2–1.3 mm. long, with 9 longitudinal ridges on the dorsal facet, and 6 shallow concentric ridges on each ventral facet, and with numerous faint transverse striae between the ridges, uniformly light brown.. Fig.5.
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