Shrub or subshrub 0.4–2 m. tall, the young stems ± bifariously pubescent with ferruginous hairs but at length glabrous.. Leaf-blades elliptic or oblong-elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 4–20 cm. long, 1.5–7 cm. wide, narrowly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous above and beneath save for pubescence on the nerves beneath or rarely pubescent all over and sometimes papillate on venation, thin, often drying dark green or grey-green above and reddish brown beneath, in life said to be dark and glossy above and almost silvery beneath; nodules absent and domatia inconspicuous; petiole 0.1–1.2 cm. long, glabrous or pubescent; stipules narrowly to broadly obovate, 1–1.7 cm. long, bilobed, the lobes usually narrowly lanceolate, 5–8 mm. long, the margins fringed with ferruginous hairs and base of stipule usually hairy outside, deciduous.. Flowers heterostylous, 5-merous, in much-branched ± pyramidal panicles 3–13 cm. long; peduncle 2–8 cm. long, pubescent, sometimes only bifariously; secondary branches 0.3–2 cm. long, similarly pubescent or glabrous; pedicels 0–2.5 cm. long, glabrous; lowermost bracts elliptic to oblong-lanceolate or linear-elliptic, up to 2 cm. long, 5 mm. wide, acuminate and entire or 3-toothed with central tooth the longest, glabrous save for marginal hairs; other bracts smaller.. Calyx-tube ± campanulate, 0.7 mm. long, glabrous; limb cupuliform, 0.5–0.7 mm. long, glabrous, teeth irregularly triangular, 0.25 mm. long.. Buds distinctly 5-horned at the apex, the horns 0.3–1 mm. long.. Corolla usually glabrous outside, white; tube 3.5–6 mm. long; lobes ovate-oblong, 2–2.5 mm. long, 0.9 mm. wide, conspicuously horned.. Stamens with filaments 1.7–3.5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 0.2 mm. long in long-styled flowers.. Style 3–4.5 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 5.5–7.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers; stigma-lobes 0.75–1.5 mm. long.. Drupes red or said to be blue turning red and drying black, with 2 pyrenes, subglobose or ± ellipsoid, 4–5 mm. in diameter, glabrous, strongly grooved in the dry state; pyrenes rhaphide-packed, semiglobose or semi-ellipsoid, 3.8–4.5 mm. long, 3.5–3.8 mm. wide, 2 mm. thick, the ventral face slightly concave with 2 shallow grooves, the dorsal face sharply 6-ribbed.. Seeds red, semiglobose, 3 mm. long and wide, 1.8 mm. thick, the ventral face slightly concave with 2 shallow grooves, thickened at the middle, dorsal face obtusely 4-ribbed; albumen not ruminate.
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