Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Shrubs to medium-sized trees 1.2–5(–7) m tall, new growth densely appressed hirtellous.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades elliptic, elliptic–ovate, oblong–elliptic, or rarely suborbicular, 7–30 cm long, 4–12 cm wide. Apex rounded to subacute, usually mucronate. Base rounded to cuneate. Upper surfaces glabrous; lower surfaces glabrate to sparsely pubescent; blades thick and coriaceous. Margins entire Flat or strongly revolute. Primary lateral veins usually 15–20 pairs, connected by an arched vein 3–15 mm from margin, higher order venation prominently reticulate on lower surface, upper surface less so, venation pinnate, lateral veins connected by an arched submarginal vein, higher order venation forming a reticulate pattern. Petioles stout, lenticellate, 20–35 mm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers 3–12 (–18) in axillary cymes, puberulent throughout, peduncles 5–8(–14) mm long, pedicels 5–12 mm long, bracteoles narrowly ovate, ca. 2 mm long, bracts small, opposite. Calyx of 4 sepals; sepals imbricate, staminate flowers with sepals ovate, ca. 4 mm long, appressed puberulent, pistillate flowers with sepals deltate, ca. 3 mm long, appressed puberulent externally, glabrous within. Corolla of 4 petals, valvate; staminate flowers petals green or sometimes reddish green, oblong–deltate, 7–8 mm long, ca. 3.5 mm wide, minutely puberulent toward apex, pistillate flowers petals green or sometimes reddish green, oblong–deltate, ca. 6.5 mm long and 3 mm wide, glabrate except minutely puberulent toward apex. Stamens 8, in 2 whorls, distinct, reduced but always present in functionally pistillate flowers. Ovary superior (pistillate flowers), 4-celled and 4-lobed, carpels connate, only slightly distinct at apex to almost entirely distinct, densely golden puberulent; ovules 2 per cell, hemitropous, 1 ascending; style 1, filiform, 2–3.2 mm long, hirtellous with ascending hairs in the lower ½, terminating in 4 short stigmatic branches; stigmas dark red, short, clavate. Staminate flowers ovary reduced, puberulent; style hirtellous, ca. 1.5 mm long.

Fruit: Capsules green to pink–tinged; 18–25 mm wide; carpels connate ca. 1/5–⅓ their length; straight to slightly recurved; 8–12 mm long; exocarp moderately puberulent; veins prominent when dry; endocarp densely and uniformly puberulent. the carpels dehiscing along the upper suture; exocarp. Seeds usually 2 per carpel; 4–8 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 mesic valleys and forest.

Elevation Range: 490–880 m.