Scruffy, paedomorphic, spinose shrub to 3 m high; new stems ridged, scabrid; spinescent short shoots always present; new leaves and stems angular, densely hairy with rusty red T-shaped hairs, the terminal cell ribbony and flared in the centre similar to the Citriobatus group of species. Cotyledons 2, opposite, distinctly petiolate, ovate, apices acute. Seedling leaves immediately alternate and then clustering around spinescent short shoots by the fifth node, elliptic, smaller than ..., c. 7 mm long, c. 4 mm wide. Later stage leaves mainly alternate, ovate, smaller again, c. 6 mm long, c. 4 mm wide, glabrous, apex rounded, mucronate, petiolate. Inflorescences are mainly solitary, unisexual flowers in leaf axils, bractal involucre present, pedicels stout with a basal large bract to 2 mm long. Sepals free, narrowly elliptic, 2–3 mm long, maroon, apex acute, margin hairy. Petals connivent in throat, 6–7 mm long, with upper 3 mm recurving, outer surface maroon, inner pale orange. Inflorescences dioecious: male flowers are thin, tubular with apices recurved, stamens exserted; filaments c. 5 mm long, stout, tapering, adnate to petal joins then free; anthers free, ovoid 2 mm long, yellow. Pistil with style longer and barely distinguishable from the narrow ovary, few ovules and minimal stigmatic development. Female flowers are squat campanulate in shape, with staminodes not exserted, anthers aborted, and barely reaching past the base of the style, no pollen; pistil with a turgid ovary, is incompletely 2-or 3-locular with numerous ovules, very hairy; stigma pale green and conspicuously lobed. Fruits are fully recurved, loculicidally dehiscent capsules, 8–10 mm diam., bright yellow, on stout peduncles 2–3 mm long, valves
Home