Erect shrub to 3 m, green, male or female, densely pubescent with stellate hairs; prickles to 10 mm long, abundant on calyx of bisexual flower, scattered to absent elsewhere. Leaves ovate, the upper ones narrowly lanceolate; lamina 5–10 cm long, 2.5–6 cm wide, concolorous or slightly discolorous, entire; petiole 5–20 mm long. Male plant: inflorescence condensed, at least 12–flowered; peduncle c. 10 mm long; pedicels c. 5 mm long; calyx 7–10 mm long, the lobes lanceolate, 5–7 mm long; corolla broadly stellate to pentagonal, c. 25 mm diam., purple; anthers c. 7 mm long. Female plant: flowers not known; fruiting pedicel absent or up to c. 5 mm long; fruiting calyx c. 25 mm diam., covering fruit; lobes triangular with linear apices, 20 mm long. Berry drying within calyx, and splitting around circumference in lower portion to form a loose cap. Seeds 2.5 mm long, black.
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