|
Description:
Unbranched to branched treelet, 1–7 m tall. Leaves palmately compound, spirally arranged, 32.7–52.5 cm long, with lenticels on petiole base, ligulate stipule, and stem; stipule triangular, 2.6– 4.5 × 2.3–4.2 cm, with silvery-white floccose to lanate indument comprising branched trichomes, the margin entire; petiole 15–22.5 cm long, 4.1– 6.3 mm diam., glabrous; leaflets 8–10, borne in a single whorl, petiolule 1–4.5 cm, blade oblong to obovate-oblong, conduplicate, dark green adaxially, pale green abaxially (in vivo), olive green to brown above and below (in sicco), coriaceous, 9–21.7 × 3.3–7.5 cm, densely covered with ferruginous indument when young, glabrescent, base rounded to cordate, margins entire, sometimes minutely revolute, apex acuminate, venation pinnate, primary vein prominent, slightly raised adaxially, raised abaxially, secondary veins 21– 52 on each side, obscure adaxially, visible abaxially, tertiary veins obscure adaxially, visible abaxially, inter-secondary veins present, collecting vein present, 0.4–2.1 mm from margin. Inflorescence pseudo-lateral (resulting from delayed development of an initially terminal inflorescence), erect to ascending, paniculate, with three orders of branching, bracts caducous, triangular, 4.7–9.8 × 2.8–6.2 mm, scar thin, crescent-shaped; primary 21.5–31 cm long; ultimate units heads, spherical to ovoid or ellipsoid, 1.1–1.6 cm diam. in bud, expanding to 1.5–3.5 cm diam. in fruit, sessile to pedunculate, peduncle, when present, up to 9.3 mm long, 3.3–5.1 mm diam. Flowers hermaphroditic, 62–94 per head, closely appressed to one another; calyx a low undulate rim/crown, up to 0.4 mm high, 2.8–4.4 mm wide; corolla calyptrate, pale green (sometimes tinged with red), turning brownish when dry, with silvery white floccose to lanate indument comprising branched trichomes, broadly cylindrical, with a rounded to flat top, drying bullate/verrucose, 3.6– 4.4 × 1.7–2.6 mm; stamens 5–8, in a single series, filaments 0.9–1.3 long when calyptra is first shed, expanding to 2.1–3.4 mm long at pollen presentation, anthers tan-yellow, 1–1.5 mm long; ovary 4– 6-carpellate, pale green; styles 4–6, free, forming short, stout nubs, appressed before receptivity, spreading at maturity, 0.8–1.8 mm long. Fruits green, fleshy, obpyramidal, transversely square, pentagonal or hexagonal (depending on the number of carpels), closely appressed to one another, 6.5–10.3 × 2.5–4.5 mm, base truncate to conical, with 4–6 ribs when dry (as many as the carpels).
|