Perennial, basally woody, c. 1.5 m tall herb. Stem tuberculate, sparingly covered with bulbous based, yellowish-brown, stellate or simple patent hairs or glabrescent. Leaves 5-costate, narrowly ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 5-12.5 cm long, 1.3-4.5 cm broad, stellate hairy on both sides, acuminate at the apex, sub-cordate or obtuse at the base, coarsely serrate; petiole 1-3 (-5) cm long, pilose; stipules linear-lanceolate, 8-10 mm long, acute, pilose. Inflorescence a many flowered, axillary or antiphyllous short peduncled cyme. Flowers yellow, c. 1 cm across, pedicel c. 2-3 mm long, densely hairy. Sepals lorate, 9-10 mm long, cucul¬late and minutely awned at the apex, stellate hairy outside. Petals narrowly oblanceolate, 7-8 mm long, obtuse, hairy at the base. Stamens mostly 10, as long as petals. Carpels 4; ovary globose, 4-loculed, hairy; style subulate, 7-8 mm long, stigma 4-lobed. Capsule subglobose, densely tomentose, 1.1-1.3 cm long, 1.2-1.4 cm in diameter including 6-8 mm long, uncinate spines with patent hairs all round. Seeds dark brown, shining, planoconvex.

Fl. Per.: June-November.

Type: Described from India.

Distribution: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Malaya, China and tropical Africa.

The plant has not yet been collected from our area but may occur in the sub-himalayan tract and from Ravi eastwards (fide Parker, l.c.) in the N.E. of Pakistan (Punjab).