| Original Botanical Description or Link to | Description. Perennial herb, monoecious, 10–25 cm tall. Rhizome creeping
with adventitious roots, sometimes branched, 3–30 cm long, 5–12 mm thick, reddish
brown, densely pubescent or rusty villous, internode short, 3–8 mm long. Stipule triangular, 6–12 × 5–6 mm, apex cuspidate (3–5 mm), margin entire, rusty colored,
densely rusty tomentose on both surfaces, persistent; petiole scarlet red to crimson,
cylindrical, 3–15 cm long, densely rusty tomentose. Blade ovate to widely ovate, 6.5–
15 cm long, 6–11cm wide, asymmetric, adaxially dark green with gray or light-green
areas, slightly pubescent, abaxially light-green, deep red along veins, rarely entirely
dark red or red with light-green areas, slightly pubescent, rusty villous on the veins;
base cordate, apex acuminate to attenuate, margin sinuate, with sparse hairs; venation
palmate, 7–9 veined, adaxial slightly impressed, abaxial distinctly prominent. Inflorescence axillary, sub-corymb, erect, branching 2–3 times, 7–19 cm long. Primary
peduncle 5.5–14.5 cm long, densely rusty tomentose, dark red, secondary 0.6–1.5 cm
long; bract ovate to lanceolate or obovate, 8–13 × 3–7 mm, glabrous, apex acute,
margin entire, sometimes with ciliate, 2–10 flowers per inflorescence, male flowers
open earlier at the same node. Staminate flower: pedicel white or pink, glabrous,
0.9–3.7 cm long, tepals 4, rarely 6, outer 2 (or 3) larger, pink, ovate to suborbicular,
1.3–1.8 × 1.1–2.1 cm, glabrous or abaxially strigose; inner 2 (rarely 3), smaller, whitepinkish, ovate or obovate, 9–17 × 7–11 mm., glabrous; androecium 4–6 mm long,
5–7 mm in diameter; stamens numerous, filaments ca. 1.7 mm long, anthers yellow,
obovate, nearly 1.2 mm long, apex obtuse. Pistillate flower: pedicel dark red, glabrous,
2.6–3.3 cm long, tepals 5, rarely 6, outer 3, larger, pink, ovate, 14–16 × 1–13 mm,
inner 2 (rarely 3), smaller, white-pinkish, ovate to suborbicular, 12–16 × 8–11 mm;
ovary glabrous, 2-loculed, placentae axillary, placentae 2 per locule, styles 2 or 3, fused
at base, stigma bifid with twisted bands, highly convolute, yellow or golden yellow.
Capsule nodding, ovoid, glabrous, unequally 3-winged; abaxial wing nearly roundrectangular, 13–17 mm broad, lateral wings shorter, 2.5–3.0 mm broad. |
