Rather sparingly branched shrub or tree up to 8 m. tall; bark black; branchlets slender, clad when young in white cobwebby or floccose tomentum, as are young lvs. Lvs alt., coriac., lamina 7·5-12.5 × 4-5 cm., on slender petioles 1-2 cm. long; elliptic to broad-elliptic to obovate-oblong, subacute to obtuse. Fls axillary, solitary or in 2-5-fld axillary and terminal clusters; peduncles slender, white-tomentose, up to 2 cm. long. Sepals 6-7 mm. long, subulate to lanceolate, acuminate, white-pubescent on back; petals up to 1 cm. long, oblong-ligulate, dark red. Capsules subglobose to obovoid; white-downy when young, c. 1·5-2 cm. long, 3-valved, rarely 2-valved, on pedicels 1-2 cm. long.
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