Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Small trees or shrubs 3–10 m tall, new growth densely minutely puberulent with tightly appressed, grayish hairs.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades narrowly elliptic to elliptic–ovate or elliptic–obovate, 4–15(–21) cm long, 2–5(–7.5) cm wide. Apex rounded to subtruncate, ± emarginate. Base rounded to subtruncate. Upper surfaces glabrous except midrib ± puberulent; lower surfaces sparsely to sometimes moderately puberulent, more densely so along midrib, ± pilose; blades subcoriaceous to chartaceous. Margins entire. Primary lateral veins usually 9–12 pairs, conspicuous, spreading-arcuate, connected by an arched vein 1–4 mm from margin, venation pinnate, lateral veins connected by an arched submarginal vein, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern. Petioles 12–40 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 1–3(–6) in sparsely to densely puberulent, axillary cymes, peduncles (3–) 8–17 mm long, pedicels 3–8 mm long, bracteoles minute, caducous, bracts small, opposite. Calyx of 4 sepals; sepals oblong–ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm long, densely puberulent externally, glabrous within, margins ciliate, apex acute, subpersistent in fruit, imbricate. Corolla of 4 petals; petals oblong–deltate, 5–6 mm long, densely puberulent, apex obtuse, valvate. Stamens 8, in 2 whorls, distinct, reduced but always present in functionally pistillate flowers. Ovary superior, hirtellous; style ca. 0.4 mm long; stigmas clavate, not widely spreading. ovary 4-celled and 4-lobed, carpels connate, only slightly distinct at apex to almost entirely distinct; ovules 2 per cell, hemitropous, 1 ascending; style 1, terminating in 4 short stigmatic branches.

Fruit: Fruit probably dark green; 14–25(–30) mm wide; of distinct follicles 7–15 mm long; exocarp densely to moderately grayish or pale yellowish short–pilose to puberulent; endocarp sparsely to moderately short–villous with short; erect or appressed; pale hairs. the carpels dehiscing along the upper suture; exocarp. Seeds 1–2 per follicle; 4–7 mm long. glossy black when ripe; crustaceous; ovoid; sometimes angled from compression; embryo straight in fleshy endosperm; radicle short; cotyledons compressed; ovate; putamen brown; warty.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring in diverse mesic forest.

Elevation Range: 450–850 m.