Hermannia salviifolia var. salviifolia stems

Lower, old stems of the Hermannia salviifolia var salviifolia shrub lose their leaves. The leaves on the plant cluster near the stem-tips. The brown old stems have smooth bark, the young stems red and hairy.

The alternate leaves in picture show some of their narrow leaf stipules that flank the petiole bases and may curl.

A decoction of the root of H. salviifolia is utilized as an old-fashioned household remedy for convulsions (Bean and Johns, 2005; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; www.sciencedirect.com).