Polylychnis fulgens
Content
Description
Large herb or scandent shrub, often lignified at base. Stem green, subquadrate, becoming 4-ribbed towards apex, glabrous. Petiole 5-30 mm, canaliculate; blade herbaceous, elliptic-oblong, 13-30 x 4.5-15 cm, caudate-acuminate at apex, acute at base and decurrent on petiole, glabrous on both surfaces, margin subentire or irregularly dentate; primary vein and secondary veins (ca. 9-17 pairs) slightly raised on both surfaces, veinlets prominent on lower surface; cystoliths numerous and conspicuous, especially on upper surface. Inflorescence a terminal, sometimes axillary, panicle, peduncle 9-14.5 cm long; rachis sharply quadrangular, longer than peduncle and consisting of long internodes; basal branchlets 2-5.5 cm long, once or twice dichasially branched; basal bracts narrow, triangular, bracts 3 x 1.2 mm, floral bracts broadly triangular, 1-1.5 x 1.2 mm; pedicels 6-12 mm long. Calyx green, glabrous, tube 1 x 2.5 mm, lobes narrowly triangular, 2.5-3.75 x 1.5 mm; corolla bright red, 52-83 mm long, glabrous, tube 2-3 mm in diam. at base, 8-13 mm wide apically, lips 9-12 mm long, upper lip deeply 2-lobed, lobes of upper lip obovate, 3-6 mm long, lower lip 3-lobed, lobes obovate, 11 x 7.5 mm; stamens exserted 13 mm beyond mouth of corolla tube, filaments glabrous, connate from base to 2.5-8 mm, free part 10-11 and 12-13 mm long respectively, anthers 4 mm long, connective slightly expanded at apex; disk 0.7-2 mm high, conical projections 0.1-0.3 mm high; ovary 3-3.5 mm high, glabrous, style 67 mm long, slightly exceeding stamens, stigma 2-lobed, upper lobe 0.5 mm long, lower 2.5 mm long. Capsule clavate, 24-26 x 5 x 3 mm, glabrous, apiculate, stipe 12 x 2.5 mm long, seeds 6, 3-3.5 mm in diam., glabrous, margins fringed by hygroscopic trichomes.