Shrub 2.4–5 m. tall; branches with paired straight supra-axillary spines ± 1 cm. long which are abbreviated undeveloped inflorescences; branchlets with bristly whitish or brown hairs, the purplish brown or grey bark eventually flaking to reveal a powdery surface.. Leaf-blades elliptic to ovate, 1.5–7 cm. long, 1–4 cm. wide, acuminate at the apex, rounded to subcordate at the base, eventually subcoriaceous, discolorous, the venation above becoming ± impressed and surface slightly bullate, venation reticulate beneath, at first fairly densely pubescent, later with a few scattered hairs on the main nerves beneath and pubescent domatia but otherwise glabrous; petiole ± 2 mm. long, pubescent; stipule-bases 1–2 mm. long, at first fused, long white-pilose within, the appendages ± 2 mm. long, glabrous.. Cymes 1–3-flowered, about half as long as the leaves; peduncle 1–2.5 cm. long, sparsely pubescent, the base thickened, being the part equivalent to a spine; pedicels 0.3–0.5(–1.5 in fruit) cm. long; bracts forming a small involucre ± 1 mm. long.. Calyx-tube ovoid, 1.2 mm. long, glabrous, the limb scarcely developed, subtruncate.. Corolla greenish white; tube ± 3 mm. long, glabrous outside, with a ring of deflexed hairs inside; lobes 5–8, narrowly triangular, 5 mm. long, 1.7 mm. wide, micropapillate inside, long-acuminate at the apex, the appendage ± 1.5 mm. long.. Anthers half-exserted.. Ovary 3–4-locular; style exserted 1.5 mm., the stigmatic club ± 1 mm. long.. Fruits purple, globose, 0.7–1 cm. diameter, with (1–)3–5 pyrenes and 2–5-lobed in the dry state; pyrenes straw-coloured, ellipsoid, 7 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, 2.5 mm. thick.
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