Habit

Small single-stemmed shrub to 1 m tall, often growing in large colonies in open places. Stems ca. 1 cm in diameter, green, white-lenticellate, very woody at the base, when dry usually hollow, extremely variable in pubescence, from glabrous to densely pubescent with simple uniseriate trichomes 1-1.5 mm long, these drying white and cateniforme.

Sympodial Structure

Sympodial units unifoliate.

Leaves

Leaves pinnate, 10-50 x 7-25 cm, elliptic to obovate, with 2-5 pairs of leaflets, the leaflets not always perfectly opposite, the pubescent reflecting that of the entire plant, glabrous to densely pubescent both adaxially and abaxially with simple uniseriate trichomes on the veins and the lamina, the trichomes 1-2 mm long, white, leaves glabrescent with age, but not markedly so, leaves rarely purple abaxially; petiole 5-15 cm long; lateral leaflets elliptic to obovate, 7.5-15 x 2.3 cm, with ca. 12-14 pairs of primary veins, the base attenuate, markedly oblique and enlarged basiscopically, the apex acute to acuminate; petiolule 2-3 mm; basal leaflets usually somewhat smaller than the laterals, but similar in shape; terminal leaflet obovate, usually much wider than the laterals, 9-15 x 3.5-8(-10) cm, the base attenuate, usually winged and decurrent onto the rachis, the apex acute to acuminate; petiolule winged onto the rachis.

Inflorescences

Inflorescence axillary, 0.5-5 cm, 1-8 arising from an axil, occasionally once-branched, bearing 5-10 flowers at anthesis, with up to 100 scars, pubescence as the rest of the plant, glabrous to densely pubescent. Buds globose, ca. 2 x 2 mm, exserted from the calyx tube. Pedicels at anthesis 4-6 mm long, filiform nodding.

Flowers

Flowers with the calyx tube 1-1.5 mm, broadly conical, abruptly narrowing to the pedicel, the lobes 1-1.5 x ca. 1 mm, deltate, glabrous to sparsely pubescent with simple uniseriate trichomes abaxially; anthers 1-1.5 x 1-1.5 mm, poricidal at the tips, papillose abaxially, the free portion of the filaments 0.5-1 mm long, the filament tube 0.05 mm; ovary conical, glabrous; style 3-4 mm long, glabrous or minutely papillose in the lower half, some flowers short-styled and the style included in the anther cone; stigma capitate to slightly clavate.

Fruits

Fruit a globose, occasionally somewhat apically pointed, green berry, 0.8-1.2 cm in diameter, 1-1.2 cm long, the surface smooth; fruiting pedicel 0.8-1 cm long, nodding.

Seeds

Seeds 2.3-3.0 x 1.6-2.3 mm, ovoid-reniform, brown, 35-60 seeds per fruit; epidermal cells sinuous and irregular, with anticlinal thickenings but without projections.