A shrub or small tree, 1.5-4 m. tall, nodose; internodes slender, rather short, minutely and transiently puberulent, finely ribbed; leaves elliptic, apex caudately blunt-acuminate, base rounded but subacute at the petiole, or narrowed and acute, 3-5.5 cm. wide X 8-12 cm. long, palmately 5-nerved, the nerves salient on both sides, the innermost pair of laterals coalescing with the midrib within the lowermost 5 mm., with numerous, fine, cross-connecting and anastomosing nervules, drying light green, firm, chartaceous, glossy, translucent; petiole scarcely 5 mm. long, granular-puberulent, channelled above, drying wrinkled, vaginate toward the base; spikes 3-4.5 cm. long, loosely flowered; peduncle scarcely 1 cm. long, obscurely puberulent; bracts very small, concave, glabrous; fruit ovoid, smooth or papillate; stigmas 3 or 4, sessile.
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