Tree up to 22 m, flowering at 6 m. Bole up to 15 m, up to 50 cm in diam.; buttresses upwards up to 2 m, outwards up to 30 cm, up to 20 cm thick. Bark smooth, greyish-brown or greyish-green, lenticellate, sometimes with longitudinal cracks or flaking in small scales; inner bark pale yellow or dark reddish–brown or pink with white latex from cambium region; sapwood yellow, orange or pale brown, sometimes turning pur-ple near the heart; latex white. Twigs fairly stout with numerous yellowish-brown or orange brown, peltate scales which are entire or have a fimbriate margin, with white latex. Leaves imparipinnate, up to 1 m long and 70 cm wide; petiole up to 20 cm long, petiole, rachis and petiolules with indumentum like the twigs. Leaflets 11–15(–17), 7–35 by 4–12 cm, often greyish–green when dry, acuminate-caudate at the apex, rounded or cunesate at the slightly asymmetrical base, upper surface with numerous almost white scales when young, glabrescent, usually rugulose and with numerous pits and lower surface usually pitted, with numerous scales like those on the twigs on the midrib, veins and surface in between on the lower surface; veins 7–19 on each side of the midrib; petiolules up to 1.5 cm. Male inflorescence up to 50 cm long and 60 cm wide. Female inflorescence up to 30 cm long, peduncle, rachis and branches with indumentum like the twigs. Flowers subglobose, c. 1.5 mm in diam., fragrant; pedicels up to 1.5 mm. Calyx usually densely covered with scales like those on the twigs. Petals 5. Staminal tube 2/3–3/4 the length of the corolla, subglobose, with a wide aperture 0.4–0.5 mm across, entire; anthers 5, ovoid, 1/2–2/3 length of the staminal tube, inserted 1/3–1/2 the way up the tube and protruding through the aperture. Infructescence up to 30 cm long and 20 cm wide, with up to 50 fruits. Fruits 5.5–6 cm long and 3.5–4 cm in diam., subglobose or pyriform, dull green, grey, brown or blackish-purple, becoming yellow or orange when ripe; pericarp woody, 1 mm thick, densely covered with scales like those on the twigs on the outside; stalk stout, up to 2 cm long and 1 cm wide. Locules 1 or 2, each containing 0 or 1 seed. Seed with aril 2.5–3 cm long, 1.5–1.7 cm wide and 1–1.8 cm thick; aril transparent, reddish–brown, slightly sour.
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