Small little-branched shrub 0.3–3 m. tall; stems glabrous save for ferruginous hairs visible beneath the deciduous stipules or with some scattered ferruginous hairs; petiole scars very evident.. Leaf-blades elliptic, rhomboid-elliptic or elliptic-oblanceolate, 16–32 cm. long, 7–14 cm. wide, sharply acuminate at the apex, very narrowly cuneate at the base, glabrous on both sides or pubescent beneath on the nerves or quite densely ferruginous hairy beneath; petiole 2–3.5 cm. long, glabrous to shortly pubescent; stipules elliptic-oblong to obovate, 1.5–2.5 cm. long, 1.2–1.6 cm. wide, bilobed at the apex, the lobes up to 1 cm. long, margined with ferruginous hairs and also with hairs at middle of base.. Inflorescences mostly many-flowered (probably up to well over 100), terminal, sessile or pedunculate, 1.3–1.8 cm. wide when in very young stage but becoming over 4 cm. wide when older; main bracts paired, with an inner and an outer set, imbricate, 2 entirely internal, 3.5 cm. long, 2 cm. wide; peduncles 0–3(–12 in a subspecies) cm. long, angled above, glabrous or pubescent; pedicels 1–2 mm. long (up to 3–5 mm. in fruit).. Calyx-tube ovoid-obconic, 1.2–2 mm. long; limb quite conspicuous, mostly spreading and over 5 mm. across (1 cm. in spirit); lobes ovate or obovate, sometimes ± 3–4-lobed, 2 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide, fringed with long ferruginous hairs, 1.2–3 mm. long.. Buds with 4 small bumps at the apex.. Corolla cream or white; tube cylindric below, funnel-shaped at apex, 6–7 mm. long, the apical part 1.5 mm. long; throat hairy; lobes ovate, 2.5–3 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, thickened at the apex.. Anthers up to 1/2-exserted.. Style exserted 0.5–2 mm., the stigmatic arms 1–1.8 mm. long, cylindric or flattened and oblong.. Fruit purple or blue, glossy, oblong-cylindric, 7–8.5 mm. long, 3–4.2(–7) mm. wide, strongly ribbed in the dry state but smooth in life; pyrenes ellipsoid, oblong-cylindric or lanceolate in outline, compressed, 6.2–7 mm. long, 3–3.5 mm. wide, 1.9–2 mm. thick, 4-ribbed.. Seeds red or pale red-brown, 4.2–5.5 mm. long, 1.3–2.5 mm. wide, 1.2–1.5 mm. thick, dorsally obtusely 6-ribbed, ventrally very flattened.
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