Polylepis hieronymi

Description. Trees 3 - 8 (- 25) m tall. Leaves slightly congested at the branch tips, imparipinnate with 3 - 4 pairs of lateral leaflets, obtrullate in outline, (3.3 -) 3.6 - 5.2 x 2.1 - 3.1 cm; rachises densely tomentose, points of leaflet attachment with a tuft of long, lanate hairs; stipular sheaths apically truncate with spurs, densely sericeous on the outer surfaces; leaflets narrowly obovate in outline, second pair from the terminal leaflet the largest, one of this pair (1.2 -) 1.5 - 2.1 x 0.6 - 1.0 cm; margin crenate with 5 - 7 teeth, apically emarginate, basally unequally cordate; upper leaflet surfaces sparsely tomentose; lower leaflet surfaces densely tomentose with whitish hairs 0.8 - 1.1 mm long. Inflorescences pendant, (4.5 -) 5.6 - 7.5 (- 8.1) cm long, bearing 13 - 25 flowers; floral bracts 3.2 - 6.3 mm long, narrowly triangular, densely lanate on the outer surface; rachises villous. Flowers 5.4 - 6.5 mm diam.; sepals 4, ovate, green, densely sericeous outside; stamens 9 - 19, anthers orbicular, with a dense tuft of straight white hairs on the upper half; styles fimbriate, 2.3 - 3.9 mm long. Fruits almost cylindrical, with variable numbers and placement of long spines, densely lanose; (4.1 -) 6.0 - 6.4 (- 8.3) x 3.5 - 7.0 mm including spines. Diploid.