Small trees up to 20 m. high, the upper branches geniculate, glabrous to pubescent, mostly grayish-brown. Leaves mostly tapering to a petiole 1-4 cm. long and canaliculate; blades ovate, about twice as long as broad (in Panama), 15-30 cm. long, 7-15 cm. broad, apically abruptly acuminate, basally tapered, glabrous to hirsute on the veins below, with mostly 20-25 pairs of lateral veins. Staminate inflorescences of scattered fascicles forming lax spikes mostly less than 6 mm. broad, the spikes simply or racemosely disposed; perianth in 1 series of 6 narrowly ovate tepals 2 mm. long, 1 mm. broad, connate for about 0.5 mm.; filaments about 2 mm. long, adnate to the tepals for about 0.5 mm.; anthers about 0.5 mm. long. Pistillate flowers with pedicels 2-5 mm. long, sepals becoming 30-45 mm. long; wings mostly about 3 times as long as the tubes, oblanceolate with rounded apices, with 1 conspicuous vein from which several laterals arise, plicate just above the tubes; tubes as pilose within as without; petals 4-7 mm. long, 1-2 mm. broad, essentially free of the tubes, narrowly ovate to obovate; ovary trigonous; styles 3, 3-4 mm. long, their inner surfaces stigmatic. Achenes 7-8 mm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, yellowish brown, with a medial sulcation in which the petals fit.
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