| Original Botanical Description or Link to | Low herb, terrestrial, perennial. Stem erect to 20 cm high, 4–8 mm in diameter, old stem yellowish and
slightly woody, young part red to brownish, fleshy and
succulent, surface glabrous, internodes 1–3 cm long.
Stipule red to brownish or purplish, ovate-triangular, 8–
10 mm long, 4–8 mm wide, keeled, margin entire, short
cusp ca.1 mm long. Petiole terete, 5–20 mm long, 2–5
mm wide, brownish red, glabrous. Leaves up to 10 on
branched stems, alternate, simple, lamina elliptic-ovate
to oblong-ovate, 13–20 cm long (basal lobes included),
7–10 cm wide, broad side 3–4.5 cm wide, strongly
asymmetric with a well-developed basal lobe on one side
giving a cordate appearance, base unequal, basal lobes
cordate, 2–3 cm long, overlapping when mature, margin denticulate, apex shortly acuminate; adaxially shiny,
dark olive to solid black at maturity, immature stage dark
bluish green, young leaves brown with a narrow red rim
at margin, adaxial surface strongly bullate, giving a
bubble-like appearance; abaxially light red to crimson,
glabrescent; venation palmate-pinnate, midrib
distinguishable, with ca. 3 major lateral veins on each
side, other 4–5 primary veins branching dichotomously.
Inflorescence bisexual, protogynous, terminal or axillary,
erect, 10–25 cm long; basal branch with a pair of female
flowers placed on short peduncle ca. 1 cm; upper distal
branching dichasially cymose to 15 cm long, zig-zag,
peduncle to 8 cm long, cymes branching to 4 orders, crimson to purplish or brownish, glabrous or with sparse
white scales; bract at base of inflorescence narrowly
lanceolate ca. 4 × 1 mm, red to brown, margin entire,
apex cuspate; bracts at apex smaller than bract ca. 2 × 1
mm. Staminate flower: pedicel 5–12 mm long, glabrous;
tepals 2, pink-red, elliptic, glabrous, 6–8 × 3–5 mm,
margin entire; androecium symmetric, stamens 20–30,
yellow; filaments 1–2 mm long, subequal, slightly fused
at base; anthers obovate, 0.8–1 × 0.6–0.8 mm. Pistillate
flower: pedicel 10–16 mm long, 1–2 mm in diameter,
pink-red, glabrous; ovary 3-locular, 10–14 × 12–16 mm,
light red to crimson, glabrous, placenta bilamellate;
tepals 5, pink to light red, glabrous, base cuneate to
rounded, apex acute to obtuse or slightly pointed, outer
tepals 2, broadly elliptic, 8–10 × 4–8 mm, inner tepals 3,
narrowly elliptic, 7–9 × 3–4.5 mm; styles 3, golden
yellow, bifid, ca. 4 mm long, stigmas broadly Y-shaped,
forming a spiral band, papillose. Capsule nodding, 12–
16 × 14–18 mm (wings included), pink to crimson,
glabrous, wings 3, subequal, nearly parallel but rounded
or truncate distally, ca. 12 mm long, 3–5 mm wide. |
