Shrub or small tree 2–5 m. high with a swollen trunk and soft wood; bark dark coppery-green scaling off in papery shavings; branches pale brown to reddish brown, glabrous to densely pubescent particularly on the young shoots; spines numerous, straight or slightly recurved, swollen at the base, up to 1.5 cm. long, usually bearing a pair of smaller spines near the base on the upper side.. Leaves shortly petiolate, obovate, 2–5 cm. long, 1–2.5 cm. broad, densely glandular below, shortly pubescent on both surfaces or glabrescent above.. Flowers (Fig. 1/14) white, or white with a crimson tube; pedicels about 5 mm. long.. Calyx-lobes glandular and pubescent, triangular, acute.. Corolla-tube 2.5–4 cm. long, 3–5 mm. broad at the base widening to 7–11 mm. at the throat, glabrous to glandular-pubescent without, glabrous within; spur slender, 4–6 cm. long; limb 4–9 cm. in diameter, glabrous above, sparsely glandular below; lobes subequal, all except outer one conspicuously fringed, obovate to transversely elliptic, 1.2–2 cm. long, 1.5–3 cm. broad, excluding the 1–2 cm. deep fringe.. Filaments free for 1.5 mm., adnate below; anthers apiculate.. Capsule 3.5–4 cm. long, 1.6–2 cm. broad.. Seeds (Fig. 1/15), including the wing, transversely oblong; wing 3.5–5 mm. broad at the sides, narrow at the base and apex.. Fig. 1/11–15, p. 3.
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A spiny shrub or small tree. It grows 1-5 m tall. The trunk is swollen at the base. The wood is soft. The bark is coppery pink-green. It flakes off in papery layers. The young shoots are hairy. There are many spines. The leaves fall off during the year. The leaves grow in bundles from cushions along the stem. They are 2-5 cm long and wider at the tip. The flowers appear in the bare tree. There are only a few and they are white. They are tube shaped and have a sweet scent. The tube can be bright red. The tube can be 4 cm long and their is a long thin spur 6 cm long. The flower is 4-9 cm across. The fruit is a woody capsule. It is hairy when young. It is long and flattened and brown. It can be 4 cm long by 2 cm wide. There are several small winged seeds.
The leaves and flowers are wilted and then cooked along or with other vegetables. The leaves are also pounded, soaked in cold water and then filtered and the liquid used as a tenderiser when cooking other vegetables.
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