Wendlandia tinctoria Dc.

Shrubs or trees, to 6 m tall; branches somewhat flattened to terete or quadrangular, densely puberulent, velutinous, or hirtellous usually becoming glabrescent. Leaves opposite; petiole 0.5-2 cm, densely puberulent or strigillose to glabrous; blade drying papery to leathery, oblong-lanceolate, elliptic-ovate, or obovate, 5.5-20 × 2.5-10 cm, adaxially sparsely strigillose at least on principal veins to glabrous throughout, abaxially sparsely to moderately strigillose or tomentose to glabrescent, base acute to obtuse, apex acute to acuminate; secondary veins 10-12 pairs, occasionally with pubescent and/or foveolate domatia; stipules generally persistent, triangular to ovate, 3-5.5 mm, densely strigillose or puberulent to glabrescent, apex cuspidate, erect or slightly spreading with age. Inflorescences paniculate, pyramidal in outline, 9-17 × 9-22 cm, branched to 2-4 orders, densely strigillose, pilosulous, velutinous, tomentose, hirtellous, or villosulous, sessile and tripartite or pedunculate; peduncle 0.8-4 cm; bracts linear to narrowly elliptic, 1-5 mm; pedicels to 0.8 mm. Flowers sessile to shortly pedicellate. Calyx densely hirtellous or pilosulous to glabrous; hypanthium portion subglobose to ellipsoid or turbinate, 0.8-1 mm; limb lobed nearly to base; lobes spatulate, triangular, or lanceolate, 0.8-1 mm. Corolla white, tubular-funnelform, outside glabrous and/or variously densely villosulous or strigillose; tube 3-4 mm, pilose in throat; lobes elliptic to ovate, 0.8-1 mm. Anthers oblong, ca. 0.5 mm, subsessile, partially exserted. Stigma 2-lobed, 0.5-0.8 mm. Capsules ovoid, ca. 1.5 × 2-2.5 mm, hirtellous to glabrous. Fl. and fr. Jan-Dec.

Dry sparse forests, dense forests, or thickets in valleys, in ravines, or on mountain slopes; at elevations from 200-2,800 metres.

The young leaves are used as a vegetable.

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.