Descr. An undershrub, three to four feet high; branch-— 
lets and young leaves beneath clothed with ferruginous hairs. 
Leaves one and a half to five inches long, young elliptic- 
oblong and very rusty beneath, old oblong, obtuse or acute, 
glabrous beneath, or with scattered hairs on the midrib, apex 
usually obtuse or rounded, rarely acute, base rounded or 
minutely cordate, yellow-green and concolorous, midrib 
slender, nerves diverging distant obscure ; petiole very short. 
flowers three inches in diameter, solitary, axillary and sub- 
terminal, very shortly pedicelled ; pedicel with a small sub- 
median bract. Calyx small, of three broadly triangular-ovate 
stellate-pubescent sepals united below the middle. Petals 
very large, flat, thin, pubescent, externally pale dirty straw- 
colour suffused with verdigris green throughout the lower 
third; three outer broadly ovate-orbicular, acute; inner elliptic, 
subacute. Andricewm small, globose, one-third inch in 
diameter, pale yellow ; anthers uniform, with a small convex 
or orbicular pubescent connective. Carpels about ten to 
twenty, cylindric, densely pubescent ; stigma subsessile, 
capitate ; ovules ten to twelve, 2-seriate. Ripe carpels six to 
eight, about an inch long, cylindric-oblong, apiculate, tomen- 
tose, granulate, 3-6-seeded; stipes one-sixth inch long.— 
vd). He 
Fig. 1, Flower with the petals removed ; 2, vertical section of torus; 3, 
stamen; 4, ovary; 5, ripe carpels; 6, longitudinal section of ripe carpel :— 
all but Jigs. 5 and 6 magnified. 
