Shrub or treelet up to 5 m tall, much-branched, with thorns up to 1.5 cm long, mostly terminating (short) leafy twigs, dioecious; short-shoots often present, bearing (clusters of) leaves and/or inflorescences. Leafy twigs 1-2.5 mm thick, brown to whitish puberulous unilaterally only or all over (or glabrous). Leaves distichous; lamina elliptic to narrowly ovate or (sub)obovate, (1-)2-10(-18) by (0.5-)1-4.5(-6.5) cm, subcoriaceous to coriaceous, apex acuminate to acute (to rounded), acumen acute to obtuse, base obtuse to rounded to cordulate, margin dentate to denticulate (to crenate), mainly in the upper part of the lamina; both surfaces glabrous and smooth; midrib impressed above, lateral veins 6-12 pairs, tertiary venation reticulate; petiole 0.1-0.4(-0.6) cm long, brown to whitish puberulous, adaxially only (or more all over); stipules 0.2-0.5 cm long, ciliolate, subpersistent. Staminate inflorescences axillary, 1-4 on short-shoots, short-spicate to (sub)capitate (or to racemose), (sub)sessile; spike (or raceme) 0.4-0.8 cm long; flowers 8-14, (sub)sessile (or up to 1 mm long pedicellate); perianth c. 1.5 mm long, subglabrous or minutely puberulous; stamens 2-2.5 mm long, anthers 0.6-0.8 mm long; bracts basally attached, 0.2-0.6 mm long, minutely puberulous. Pistillate inflorescences axillary, solitary (sometimes clustered on short-shoots), uniflorous; peduncle 0.3-0.6 cm long, subglabrous; tepals ovate, 2-5 mm long, glabrous, in fruit up to 2 cm long; ovary c. 1.5 mm long, style c. 1 mm long, stigmas 0.5-3 mm long; bracts usually 2, ovate to narrowly ovate, c. 1.5 mm long, subglabrous. Drupe ellipsoid, 0.5-1 cm long, dehiscent (?), whitish.
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Shrubs 2-3 m tall; dioecious. Branchlets curved, one side with dark-yellow marginal hairs; spines 1-1.5 cm, strong. Stipules lanceolate, abaxially with a longitudinal rib. Petiole 2-3 mm; leaf blades elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 2-8 × 1-3.5 cm, leathery, base acuminate to obtuse, margin entire and apical half crenate or apically with 3 pairs of teeth, apex acuminate to blunt; secondary veins 7-11 on each side of midvein. Bisexual inflorescences absent. Male inflorescences axillary, sessile, capitate to shortly racemose; involucral bracts several whorled, 2.5-3.5 mm, membranous, abaxially pubescent. Female inflorescences 1-flowered; bracts 2, scale-like. Male flowers: shortly pedicellate; calyx lobes 4, ovate to lanceolate, with marginal hairs; filaments exserted at anthesis; anthers globose; pistillode cubic. Female flowers: pedicellate; calyx lobes 4, lanceolate, conspicuously veined, enlarged and leafy in fruit; ovary at first straight then oblique; style apically branched. Drupes globose, 4-5 mm in diam., enclosed at first by enlarged foliaceous calyx lobes, basally fleshy, apically papillate. Fl. Apr-May.
A shrub. It grows 2-3 m tall. The small branches are curved. There are hairs on one side. There are spines 1-2 cm long. The leaves are oblong or sword shaped and 2-8 cm long by 1-4 cm wide. The flowering shoots are in the axils of leaves. Male flowers are in groups and female flowers occur singly. The fruit is round and 4-5 mm across.
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