A shrub or small tree, commonly 2-5 m. tall; flowering internodes rather elongate and stoutish, commonly somewhat fleshy-warty especially near the nodes, pubescent or glabrescent; leaves broadly ovate, apex acute or short-acuminate, base somewhat obliquely cordulate with a rather narrow sinus, both sides essentially equal at the petiole or one side a few mm. shorter, up to 29 cm. wide X 50 cm. long but usually somewhat smaller, pinnately nerved below the upper third or fourth, the nerves 7-8 on each side, the lowermost 3 or 4 approximated near the base, with cross-connecting and anastomosing nervules, submarginally loop-con-nected, glabrous above, pubescent beneath, at least the nerves puberulent, the midrib beneath with warty excrescences at least near the base, drying firm, brown, opaque; petiole 6-8 or 12 cm. long, puberulent, vaginate-winged nearly to the blade, with warty-excrescences; spikes 8-10 mm. thick X 30-50 cm. or more long; peduncle 4-6 cm. or more long, sparsely hairy glabrescent; bracts rounded-or triangular-subpeltate, inflexed, yellow-puberulent or glabrate; fruit rather large, obovoid, glabrous, stigmas linear, on a short, stout, deciduous style.
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