Shrub to 3 m tall. Branches glabrous. Leaves ovate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or lance-elliptical, ca. 7.5-20 x 3-9 cm, acuminate, often undulate and decurrent to base, glabrous; petiole sulcate, 1.5-4 cm long. Inflorescence a terminal or pseudolateral, many-flowered, weakly subthyrsiform raceme (rarely a panicle with 2 branches from base, Sastre 282) 9-30 cm long, longer than leaves, axes pink; bracts linear, 2-6 mm long; pedicels weakly to strongly puberulent, to 15 mm long, lower ones with 1-2 lateral flowers; bracteoles linear, 1-2.5 mm long. Tepals greenish-white to pink, concave, elliptical, 2-4 x 1.5-2 mm, sessile-glandular dotted on middle of back, reflexed in fruit; stamens 9-12, outer ones often staminodial, in 2 series on a hypogynous disk; ovary of 7-8 connate carpels, styles slender, recurved. Fruit depressed, becoming dark purple to black, ca. 5-7 mm wide; seed reniform, ca. 2 x 2 mm, smooth, shining, black.
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