Description

Key Characters: Leaves glabrous, inflorescence whooly (tomentose), Leaves subcoriaceous, elliptical, acute at both ends, petioles 6-10 mm., capsules small.

Growth Form: Shrub or small tree 4-8 m. high.

Stems: Bark usually rough and fissured, separating in thick flakes, sometimes smooth and separating in long thin strips, vegetative buds obovoid, stems terete.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blade elliptical oblong to ovate, 4-7 cm. long, 2-3 cm. wide. Apex obtuse, acute or slightly emarginate. Base obtuse or acute. Upper surfaces glabrous, shining, dark green.lower surfaces glabrous, dull; blades subcoriaceous. Margins entire and flat. Several pairs of raised veins radiating from base; intramarginal nerve distinct, close to the margin. Petioles 6-10 mm. long. Stipules vestigial or absent.

Flowers: Flowers in inflorescences of 2–5 pairs of cymules; cyme small, densely white-woolly-tomentose; peduncles 7–18 mm long, 1–3 mm wide, pedicels 2–8 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, bracts broadly ovate to suborbicular, 5–10 mm long, 3–5 mm wide; hypanthium 3–7 mm high, 3–8 mm wide. Flowers red; bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Sepals rounded to triangular, 1.5–4 mm long, 1.5–3 mm wide; calyx white woolly, as well as calycine lobes, but occasionally glabrous;. Petals obovate to orbicular, 2.5–5 mm long, 2–4.5 mm wide; glabrous, slightly ciliate at the margins. Stamens approximately 2.2 cm long. Ovary nearly superior; style 1.3–3 cm long.

Fruit: Capsules small; dark gray and woolly; very much exserted from calycine tube; fruiting hypanthium 3–8 mm long and wide; pubescent or glabrous.

Ploidy:

Habitat:

Elevation Range: 300-1300 m