Evergreen shrub, hermaphrodite, up to 3(4) m in height, erect, slightly branched. Trunk sometimes well defined, arborescent, straight or slightly tortuous, up to 40 cm in diameter, but usually with stems 3-20 cm in diameter. Bark smooth, brown-ashen, dark and slightly fissured on older stems. Younger branchlets slightly villous, greenish or reddish. Leaves (5-20 \u00d7 1-4 cm) opposite or whorled in 3-4, longly lanceolate, attenuated at the base, on a short petiole, with whitish and well defined midrib, very coriaceous, glabrous, deep green on the upper side and slightly lighter on the underside. Inflorescence in corymbiform cymes, at the end of the branches. Flowers very showy (3-5 cm in diameter), slightly odorous. Calyx campanulate, with 5 acute and lanceolate lobes, slightly villous, green or reddish. Corolla is a type of tube that at 2-3 cm opens in 5 petals in the shape of a star, with a \u00b1 straight base; then, in the upper half, petals are curved towards the right. At the base of the petals there are some small appendages, laciniate, with the appearance of another tiny corolla called corona, that is the same colour as the corolla (usually pink, rarely reddish or white). Fruit an elongated follicle 8-16 cm, subcircular in cross section and with a slightly angled surface. At maturity, it opens longitudinally into two valves, releasing numerous seeds, with a feathery, white tuft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-13236","species","type-species","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n