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Inflorescence a loose terminal glabrous panicle, 8–18 cm long, consisting of opposite cymes subtended by foliaceous bracts, the lowermost pair of cymes in the axils of the two uppermost leaves; sometimes with additional smaller panicles terminal on lateral branchlets; the lower floral internode 2–7.5 cm long, those above successively shorter; peduncles of the lowermost pair of cymes 5–8 cm long, spreading or subreflexed, the upper successively shorter; bracts up to 4 × 2.8 cm, subpetiolate; pedicels 2–7 mm long, glabrous, reddish-purple.
Corolla pale or bright to deep blue, or mauve to lilac, or the 4 lateral lobes pale blue and the median lobe dark blue, or the 4 lateral lobes pale violet and the median lobe deeper violet; tube 7–11.5 mm long and 4–4.5 mm in diameter; lateral lobes 9.5–13(17) × 6–8.5 mm, oblong-obovate, the median one 14–20 × 8.5–10 mm, deeply concave, all ciliolate at the margins; corolla limb when in bud 10–12 mm in diameter, spherical, glabrous.
Calyx 6–8 mm long and 6.5–10 mm in diameter about the tips of the lobes, obliquely obconical, pale green below, magenta or purple towards the apex, glabrous or rarely sparsely hairy; lobes 1.5–3 mm long, 3–4 mm wide at the base, equalling or shorter than the tube, ± semicircular, erect or partially to completely reflexed (the 3 stages often present on the same specimen), ciliolate.
Branches 4-angled, somewhat thick, with a well developed central pith, glabrous or yellow-brownish puberulous towards the apices soon glabrescent, often with prominent scattered lenticels; bark on young branches, dark brown, soft, becoming longitudinally wrinkled when dry.
Fruit c. 12 mm in diameter, subglobose, glossy, at first reddish or reddish-brown, black or blue-black when ripe; fruiting calyx saucer-shaped, c. 13 mm in diameter, papery, pale green in the centre, red-purple towards the margin.
An erect few-to much branched shrub 1.2–4 m tall, or sometimes a tree to c. 6.5 m tall, often also flowering on herbaceous sucker or coppice shoots.
Style c. 5 cm long, whitish; stigma reddish-purple.
Anthers 1.75–2.5 mm long.
