Slender, erect herbs, up to 60 cm, with few branches; stem, pedicels and leaves on lower surface hairy. Leaves alternate; blade elliptic, 7-12 by 2-5.5 cm, base rounded or cuneate, apex acuminate; petiole 0.5-1 cm long. Inflorescence few-or densely-flowered, with mosdy one or two flowers in anthesis; bracts hyaline, c. 2 mm long, margins fringed. Flowers 6-8 mm in diameter (but see note); pedicel filiform and stiff, 3-10 mm long; tepals dull violet or reddish purple, c. 5 mm long, acuminate or with a filiform appendix up to 7 mm long, the outside glabrous or sparsely hairy, the inside glabrous, papillose, or sparsely hairy. Stamens 1.5-2.5 mm long; base of filaments adnate to tepals, glabrous, papillose or densely hairy; thecae without appendices. Ovary and style minute. Fruit with thin pericarp, slighdy flattened, slighdy curved, 11-19 by 4-6 mm, the top caudate for a few millimetres, green; perianth persistent. Seeds 1 or 2, broad-ellipsoid, sharply ridged lengthwise, 5-7 mm long; funicle c. 3 mm, aril consisting of 5 or 6 wide-celled appendages surrounding the seed up to halfway.
Uses The leaves of this species are eaten with betel as a tonic in convalescence; the Malay name 'kayu mati hidup' or 'expectation of death'-tree, suggests an abortifacient ( Burkill Diet. Econ. Prod. Mai. Penins. ed. 2 1966 2120 ).
Home