Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Small trees to 4–5 m tall.

Stems: New growth yellowish brown tomentose, becoming glabrate.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades suborbicular to broadly elliptic, sometimes elliptic or elliptic–obovate; 5–77 cm long, (2.5–)4–10 cm wide. Apex rounded and emarginate. Base rounded to broadly cuneate. Upper surfaces sparsely puberulent to glabrate; lower surfaces of young leaves short–pilose, usually becoming sparsely so to glabrate, midrib ± persistently pilose; blades thick, coriaceous. Margins entire. Primary lateral veins usually 6–15 pairs, usually connected by a vein 1–3 mm from margin, venation pinnate, lateral veins connected by an arched submarginal vein, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern. Petioles 11–30 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers (3)5–15 in densely to moderately puberulent, axillary cymes, peduncles 5–25 mm long, pedicels 5–10 mm long, bracts small, opposite. Calyx of 4 sepals; sepals broadly ovate, 2.5–3 mm long, densely appressed puberulent, imbricate. Corolla of 4 petals; petals deltate, 5–6 mm long, densely appressed puberulent externally, glabrous within, valvate. Stamens 8, in 2 whorls, distinct, reduced but always present in functionally pistillate flowers. Ovary superior, tomentose, 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: Capsules 20–25 mm wide; carpels connate ca. ⅓ their length; 10–12 mm long; exocarp puberulent to tomentulose; sometimes very sparsely so; endocarp puberulent; sometimes sparsely so. the carpels dehiscing along the upper suture; exocarp. Seeds 1–2 per cell; 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 mesic to wet forest.

Elevation Range: 1,070–1430 m.