Andromonoecious, heteroblastic, very polymorphic shrub to 3 m tall, sparsely, horizontally branched; new stems with a dense indumentum of visible uniseriate, red-brown, erect hairs. Cotyledons, two, opposite, linear about 10 mm long. The leaf shape and size in this species varies by developmental stage and habitat—seedlings densely hairy; more juvenile stages with leaves ovate, sometimes almost lobed, 22–26 mm long, 12–13 mm wide; margins slightly crenulate and undulate; apices acute with tiny mucro; leaf undersurface often purple, more densely hairy on margins, mid-rib and venation, both surfaces eventually glabrescent; distinct petiole 2–4 mm long. More intermediate stages with leaves appearing whorled in groups of 4 or 5 at ends of branchlets, 120–140 mm long, 35–50 mm wide; margins sinuate; apices acuminate with mucro. Adult leaves appearing whorled at ends of branches, almost sessile, narrow elliptic, 160–240 mm long, 45–75 mm wide; margins thin, flat; apices with acuminate drip tips, slight mucro; glabrescent, discolorous; adaxial surface dull green, abaxial surface grey-purple; indumentum on both leaf surfaces uniseriate-elongate mainly on margins and venation; thick convex petioles Inflorescences variable—more juvenile stages with a rachis to about 12 mm long with usually a single flower. Adult stages with a rachis to 95 mm long, cataphylls persisting; usually a solitary flower but sometimes up to 13 plus flowers in an umbel on densely hairy peduncles 15–20 mm long. Sepals long acuminate (spiky), 7–9 mm long, sparsely hairy, purple. Petals cohering in throat, 14–16 mm long, white, creamy yellow with age. recurved.Apparently andromonoecious: In the male phase, anthers 3 mm, long, narrow-oblong, not versatile, exserted; filaments to 8 mm long; pollen dehiscing just prior to anthesis. The insignificant stigma is below the level of the exserted anthers. In the female phase, the stamens bend towards and then under the developing, now capitate stigma (like Marianthus species). The ovary is much shorter than the glabrous style and covered in erect uniseriate hairs; incompletely bilocular, axile placenta, ovules inserted in two rows in each loculus; basal nectary appears to be absent or vestigial. Fruits are loculicidally dehiscent, tetragonal capsules, globose-cylindrical, 12 mm long, 8 mm diam., bright yellow, sparsely hairy, leathery, bullate; seeds 7 x 5 x 5 mm, red-brown, angular, rugulose.Please explain.
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