Clethra pachyphylla
Content
Description
Shrub or mostly small tree, 2-4 (-10) m high, trunk up to 20 cm ø, laxly branched, branches obliquely ascending to almost horizontal.
Branchlets robust, rufous-ferrugineous-tomentose at apex.
Leaves oblong or obovate-oblong, more rarely oblong-elliptic or elliptic, apex shortly subacutely acuminate, base cuneate, coriaceous, firm, younger ones subdensely floccose- or subvillous-stellate-hairy above, all over beneath with a tomentum of minor pale stellate hairs and a more coarse one of major stellate and fascicled, initially rusty, finally greyish hairs, midrib and nerves mainly with major fascicled hairs, entire or more rarely and but in part irregularly serrulate, 4-9(-14) by (2-)2.5-3.5(-4,-5) cm, midrib bold beneath, nerves (9-)10-12(-13) pairs, prominent beneath, curved and ± excurrent at the edge, veins slightly raised beneath, reticulation more distinct but in ± mature leaves;
Petals spathulate to spathulate-oblong, irregularly erose or crenulate at apex, white to cream, scented, glabrous, (3-)4(-5) by 2.5-3 mm.
Ovary short-tomentulose;
Capsule depressed-globose, 3 mm ø.
Seeds sub-trigonous, 1-1.2 mm.