Erect, straggling or scrambling shrub up to 1 m high or a woody climber up to 3 m, occasionally up to 5 m tall, much-branched; branches divaricate, longitudinally ribbed, brown or blackish, hairless, young branches sometimes glandular, covered with numerous rounded lenticels. becoming horizontally elongated, very prominent and wart-like on older stems Bark dark brown, rough, flaky, fibrous. Stipules lanceolate. 1.0-1.5 mm long; margin ciliate. Leases simple, opposite or subopposite, leathery. dark glossy green above, paler below, hairless, bundles of fibrous vessels in blade visible when tom apart, especially along midrib: lamina elliptic or ovate, 8-20(-24) x 5-15(17) mm. apex obtuse, acute or abruptly acuminate, base cuneate. rounded to truncate, margin entire, thickened; midrib sunken above, prominently raised below, with parallel lateral veins running straight into margin or disappearing before reaching margin, inconspicuous above, prominent below, reticulate venation obscure; petiole 1-2 mm long, transversely wrinkled and grooved above. Inflorescence axillary, of solitary or paired flowers; bracts with ciliate margins, 1-2 mm long. Flowers white, sweetly scented; pedicels ± 3-4 mm long, often glandular. Hypanthium funnel-shaped, 10-15(-19) mm long, hairless on outer surface; lobes elliptic, 3.5-5.0 x 1.0-2.0 mm, apex obtuse, hairless. Petals forming a ring with membranous lobes, margin ciliate. Stamens 10, in 2 whorls in throat of calyx, included. Disc cup-shaped with small lobes, ±0.5 mm long. Ovary ovoid, sessile, hairless. Fruit a drupe, oblong-ellipsoid, ±12 x 10 mm, enclosed in persistent, ± fleshy base of hypanthium, yellowish to orange, turning blackish, smooth.
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Leaves opposite or subopposite; petiole 1–2 mm long; lamina 8–25 × 5–15 mm, elliptic or ovate, obtuse or acute at the apex, rounded or narrowed at the base, glabrous; secondary nerves inconspicuous above, somewhat prominent beneath.
Branches divaricate, terete, brown or blackish, glabrous, often with white lenticels, sometimes glandular.
Calyx tube 10–15(19) mm long, funnel-shaped, glabrous; lobes 3.5–5 × 1–2 mm, elliptic, glabrous.
Ovary ovoid, sessile, glabrous; disk cup-shaped with small lobes, c. 0.5 mm long.
Flowers white, pale yellowish or greenish, solitary or in pairs.
Petals forming a ring with membranous lobes, margin ciliate.
Spreading shrub 0.5–5 m high, sometimes climbing.
Fruit bright red or orange-coloured.
Anthers c. 1 mm long, subsessile.
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