Perennial geophytic herb, up to 0.5 m diam., all parts with milky latex. Rootstock deep-seated, fleshy, cylindrical and elongated, at least 140 x 20 mm. Stem 3-14-branched at soil level, secondary branching mainly near base, decumbent from base, 60-340 mm long, 0.5-4.0 mm diam., internodes 22-67 mm long, longitudinally slightly ribbed with some sections intermixed hirsute and sparsely tomentose and other sections only hirsute. Leaves opposite, simple, entire, erect to spreading erect, 6-16 per branch; lamina ± triangular in outline, broadly ovate to lanceolate-ovate, sometimes oblique, up to 10-54 x 5-25 mm, apex acute, margins smooth and revolute, base truncate to rounded to attenuate to cordate, ventrally densely hirsute, dorsally thinly hirsute and slightly paler; primary and secondary veins prominently raised dorsally, sunken ventrally; petiole 6.0-14.0 mm long, 0.4-1.2 mm diam. Inflorescence usually solitary and terminal or axillary, up to 11 umbels per plant, up to 5 umbels per branch, seemingly undetermined, erect, semispherical, (9-)18-36(-44) mm diam.; peduncles 16-72 mm long, pubescent, deflexed at apex after flowering; bracts filiform to linear to thinly lanceolate with attenuate to acute tip, 1-7 x 0.1-2.5 mm, one side only pilose, other side intermixed longer pilose and tomentose to villous. Flowers rotate, (1-)5-14 flowers per umbel, 6-10 x 7.0-8.5 mm; pedicels shorter than peduncle, 8-12 mm long, one side only pilose, the other side intermixed pilose and tomentose to villous, with an unpleasant smell (fide Devenish 243, Drews 109, Condy 235 and specimens of first author) or with no scent (fide Cameron 345). Calyx 5-merous, erect to spreading-erect, lobes linear to linear-lanceolate, 4.5-6.9 x 0.7-1.5 mm, apex acute, base truncate, ventral surface glabrous, dorsal surface sparsely hirsute to villous, hairs up to 0.6 mm long; colleters 4-6, lanceolate, 0.07-0.47 x 0.10-0.13 mm, apex rounded, arising between calyx and corolla. Corolla 5-merous, ± divided to base, erect to slightly spreading erect, lobes oblong-ovate to elliptic, 6.4-8.7 x 1.3-3.2 mm, basal half ± cucullate, apex rounded to obtuse, sometimes with a terminal oblique notch, membranous margin 0.13-0.27 mm broad, pale pinkish on both sides, cream-coloured inside, pinkish to maroon on outside or only central part maroonish becoming pink or cream-coloured towards lateral ends, or red (fide Devenish 1069), reddish brown (fide Devenish 243), deep purple (fide Cameron 345) or deep pink (fide L'Ange 16A); two basal convex `swellings' due to the basal constriction of corolla lobes, ± two fifths the height of corolla; ventral surface glabrous, dorsal surface sparsely hirsute to villous except at margins. Staminal corona 5-merous, arising from base of gynostegial column and adnate to it for ± half its height, up to 3.2 mm long, in dried specimens appearing to have a stipe 1.0-2.4 mm long, 1.8-2.8 mm diam., extending beyond style apex; lobes free in terminal half, erect, fleshy, slightly spreading and somewhat falcate, dorsally convex with only extreme tip slightly concave and curving towards style apex, extending above gynostegial column, smooth, rounded, distal half convex ventrally; two proximal appendages at ± middle, 0.38-1.33 mm high, fused with gynostegial column from base of teeth downwards, laterally compressed, broadest at base of teeth, forming two lateral bulges, 4.2-6.9 x 0.50-1.54 mm, 1.1-2.0 mm thick from face to back at base of free portion, proximal appendage well below gynostegial head, inner face ± flat with 2 keels at base forming slender slit between them and 0.5-1.1 mm long, stipe 1.3-2.1 mm high, mauve to dark purple and maroon, sometimes cream-coloured to greenish yellow at base. Staminal column 1.6-3.8 x 2.0-2.6 mm, discoid with central depression. Anthers ± 1.20-1.50 x 0.38-1.21 mm; anther wings triangular, broadest at middle or below, 0.85-1.29 x 0.21-0.65 mm, with notch at point furthest from column, 0.33-0.52 mm exerted from staminal column, groove 0.5-0.7 mm long; anther appendages broadly obcordate to obovate to ovate in outline, 0.7-1.2 x 0.30-0.57 mm, apex sometimes emarginate, obtuse or rounded, with tips indexed onto and marginally just over rim of style apex. Style apex exposed, in cross section rounded with central depression, truncate, just exceeding anthers, 0.6-2.1 mm high, 1.6-2.5 mm diam., white or pink or maroon. Pollinaria: pollinia pendulous in each anther sac, narrowed for ± apical quarter of height, crescent-shaped or obliquely pear-shaped, 0.71-1.14 x 0.27-0.43 mm; caudicles widely diverging, filiform, slender, 0.16-0.50 mm long, attached apically to pollinia, attached terminally to corpusculum; corpusculum elongated-ovoid, 0.17-0.50 x 0.08-0.46 mm, winged; wing 0.03-0.08 mm broad, tip subacute, base truncate with semicircular indentation in middle. Follicle usually solitary, 70-77 mm long, 14-17 mm diam., broadest in ± middle, with pa e purple-maroon longitudinal stripes or blotches on green background, beak suddenly tapering to a rounded point, scattered tubercules up to 0.5 mm long in upper halt of fruit; surface minutely puberulous with hairs up to 0.5 mm long; fruiting pedicel swirled and recurved and then turned upwards (distinctly S-curved), thickening to 12-17 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm diam. with age. Seed not seen.
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