Tree to 13 (–20) m high, sparsely branched; cut bark and wood with odour of turnips. Leaves alternate, paripinnate or sometimes imparipinnate, to c. 75 cm long (petiole 10–16 cm long, rachis 40–60 (–80) cm long); leaflets opposite or subopposite, 8–30 (plus a terminal leaflet sometimes), narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic-ovate, ± regularly finely prickly-toothed to irregularly spinose-serrate or rarely almost entire, 10–30 cm long, c. 2–5 cm wide, obtuse to ± rounded or subcordate at base, acute to acuminate apex, coriaceous, dark green and glossy above, paler (subglaucous) and with whitish dots (inside reticulations) below, glabrous, venation finely reticulate, distinct and raised; petiolules swollen, mainly 5–15 mm long; stipules subulate. Panicles to 15 (–50) cm long, rusty-hairy; bracts c. 1 mm long, caducous; flowers bisexual, scented; pedicels 0.5–2 cm long. Calyx 3–4 mm long, 5-lobed, hairy. Petals 5, ± oblong, 8–12 mm long, white or pink. Staminal filaments filiform, c. 4 mm long; anthers sub-basifixed, latrorse. Style c. 6 mm long; stigma capitate; ovary pilose. Capsule ± ovoid to pyriform, 2–3 cm long, coriaceous or woody, dull red to yellowish. Seeds 1 or 2, 10–12 mm long, yellow.
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