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Leaves solitary or appearing geminate, sometimes rather closely set at the ends of the branches; petiole 0.4–4 cm long, rarely with 1–several prickles; lamina membranous or somewhat sub fleshy, 1.5–14 × 0.5–8 cm, lanceolate to ovate or ovate-elliptic, base rounded to cuneate, narrowing into the petiole and ± unequal-sided, apex obtuse-rounded to acute or ± acuminate, repand-sinuate to entire, tomentose, soon ± glabrescent and becoming sparsely hairy above, remaining densely hairy beneath, very rarely with one or few prickles on the midrib, with 4–7 pairs of lateral nerves.
Semi-woody herb or shrub, sometimes straggling, or rarely a small tree, up to 3(4) m high, normally armed; sympodia difoliate; hairs predominantly stellate, ± sessile, either small and eglandular or larger (more than 0.5 mm across) with rays from a glandular centre, the central ray sometimes extended, also with simple hairs glandular at the apex; prickles pale yellowish, 1–4(5) mm long, 0.5–3 mm wide at the base, laterally compressed, broad based, straight or ± curved, tomentose from the base to about the middle to quite glabrous.
Cymes becoming lateral, but often somewhat aggregated towards the ends of the branches, unbranched to several times forked, ± umbelliform, corymbiform or paniculiform, 3–5 cm across, often congested, few–many-flowered, hairy like the branches; peduncle from nearly none to 2.5(3) cm long, unarmed or sometimes with a few prickles basally; rhachis 0.7–4.5 cm long.
Corolla bluish to pale violet or lilacineous to purple, occasionally white, rotate to stelliform; limb 6–22 mm across; lobes 4–11 × 1.5–4.5 mm, oblong-ovate to linear, acute or obtuse, hairy outside mainly on the median part, glabrous except for a few stellate hairs scattered along the midvein or only near the apex inside, erect to reflexed.
Calyx 2.5–6 mm long, 3–6 mm across, somewhat accrescent, campanulate or cupular, tomentose to slightly hairy; lobes 1–3.5 × (0.7)1–2 mm, lanceolate to shortly ovate-triangular or broadly obovate, rounded to narrowly ± long-acuminate or apiculate, in fruit enlarged to 5 × 2 mm, curved out at the apex, ± reflexed.
Ovary (0.6)1–1.5 mm in diameter, ± globose or ellipsoid, glabrous except for few minute glands near the apex and occasionally also with stellate hairs; style 5–11 mm long, exceeding the stamens, straight or somewhat curved at the apex, glabrous or with few minute glands near the base.
Shrub, 1.2-1.5 m high. Branches unarmed or with few small spines. Leaves entire, minute stellately hairy, glabrescent. Flowers in peduncled cymes. Corolla 17-20 mm in diameter, lobes linear. Fruits red. Flowers white or mauve.
Stamen filaments 0–1.5 mm long; anthers 4–7 mm long, lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate in outline, somewhat emarginate at the apex, converging to a tube.
Seeds ± numerous, pale yellow or creamy, drying blackish, (2.5)3–3.5(4) × 2–3 mm, compressed, obliquely reniform, reticulate-tuberculate.
Flowers 4–5(7)-merous, ± nodding; pedicels 3–13 mm long, ± slender, in fruit elongated to 18 mm, somewhat thickened distally, erect.
Branches off-white tomentose, very gradually glabrescent, with scattered prickles, occasionally unarmed.
Fruits shining brown-yellow or reddish to deep red when ripe, 5–10 mm in diameter, globose, soft.
