Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Low–growing shrubs up to ca. 0.5 m tall.

Stems: Stems angled, many-branched, moderately to densely short–hispid or short–hirsute.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades elliptic, oblong–elliptic, elliptic–obovate, or elliptic–ovate, 1.5–5(–7) cm long, 1–2(–3.5) cm wide. Apex acuminate to abruptly short-acuminate. Base cuneate to rounded. Upper surfaces short–hispid along lower part of midrib or near margins at base, sometimes glabrous; lower surfaces short–hispid along veins; pale green on lower surface, coriaceous and rugose. Margins revolute and usually ciliate toward base. Upper surface with veins strongly impressed. Petioles 0.2–0.6 cm long, short–hispid. Stipules interpetiolar, may also be intrapetiolar, membranous, connate into a cup 5–6.5 mm long, distinct from petioles, short–hispid at base, caducous.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences terminal, flowers 7–20 in sessile cymes, pedicels 2.5–6 mm long, hispidulous, bracts linear–spatulate, 8–13 mm long, ± ciliate, bracteoles linear–filiform to filiform, 7–10 mm long, ± ciliate. Flowers bisexual (perfect) or functionally unisexual, actinomorphic. Calyx 5-merous, sepals united at base, lobes slightly unequal, oblong–lanceolate to linear–lanceolate, 10–14 mm long, 1.1–2.5 mm wide, imbricate, conspicuously 3–7–nerved, margins conspicuously ciliate, sometimes hispidulous throughout, inner surface of Calyx often with colleters at the base, margin mostly fimbriate. Corolla 5-merous, campanulate to rotate, yellowish orange, glabrous or sparsely hirsute, 15–20 mm long, the tube slightly flaring, 9–12 mm long; lobes the lobes narrowly deltate, 5–7 mm long, apex acute, imbricate or contorted in bud. Stamens 5, alternipetalous, attached to mouth of corolla, exserted, usually recurved after anthesis, glabrous or hairy; filaments mostly short; anthers 2-celled, introrse, connective often extended to form an apical appendage, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior or partly inferior, carpels hairy or glabrous, glabrous or sparsely hirsute in the upper part, 2– or 3-locular, sometimes partitions imperfect in upper part of ovary; ovules numerous, amphitropous, placentation axile; style terminal, mostly short; stigma clavate, ellipsoid, to globular, sometimes ± oblong, about as large as ovary.

Fruit: Capsules broadly ovoid–trigonous; 10–13 mm long; 6–8 mm in diameter; 3–valved; valves conspicuously keeled in upper part; keel 1–1.2 mm wide; apex with a beak 2–3 mm long; septicidal to sub–septifragal; maturing to green; with or without a black–purple tinge; usually becoming brown–black when over–mature. Seeds brown; 0.8–1 mm long; ± winged at both ends or all around; embedded in juicy orange to red pulp; numerous; ellipsoid to subglobular; intruded on the hilar side; surface mostly minutely papillose to areolate; brown to black; endosperm thick; fleshy; oily; proteinaceous; with saccharose or hemicellulose; embryo small; straight.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Occurring on cloud swept summits in wet forest.

Elevation Range: 790–860 m.