Tree (6–) 10–25 (–40) m high. Bark smooth, dappled white and grey. Crown ascending, with secondary and tertiary branches on various planes. Branchlets not noticeably ridged near growing point. Stipules 5.5–12 (–20) mm long. Juvenile stem indumentum absent or sparse, hairs grey to brown, all crisped, to 0.1 mm high. Juvenile leaves elliptic, 18–27 cm long, 7–10 cm wide. Adult stem indumentum absent or sparse, hairs grey, all crisped, to 0.1 mm high. Adult leaves spirally arranged or distichous; lamina obovate or broadly elliptic, (12–) 13–23 (–25) cm long, (4–) 5.3–9.7 cm wide (L/B ratio 2.2–3.9), base cuneate, symmetrical, apex acute, acuminate or mucronate; upper leaf surface dark green, glossy, glabrous except when very young, when numerous brown tortuous hairs cover the surface; lower leaf surface usually a dirty-grey colour, sometimes white, with abundant tiny white cobwebby hairs in the areoles, often completely obscuring the lamina, tortuous hairs absent or very infrequent, to 0.5 mm long; midrib and secondary veins glabrescent, brown; petiole (1–) 1.5–2.5 cm long, with hairs 50 flowers, often appearing terminal due to abortion of the uppermost leaves; rachises, peduncles and pedicels consistently rusty-brown in colour. Pedicels 0.8–2 mm long at anthesis. Bracts ovate, concave, 3.5–4 mm long, 2–2.2 mm wide; bracteoles linear, 1.5–2 mm long, 0.3 mm wide. Flowers 3.5–4.8 mm across, covered outside in rusty crisped hairs; sepals deltate, 1.2–1.7 mm long, 1.3–1.6 mm wide at base, spreading, glabrous internally; petals white, 1.0–1.4 mm long, indistinctly clawed; filaments 0.8–1.0 mm long; anthers 0.25–0.3 mm long, tail c. 0.05 mm long. Disc pentagonal, grey, not papillose, surface flat or undulate, radial furrows absent; glabrous, except for inner one-third to one-half where there is a dense cover of pale brown flexuose trichomes close to style. Style 2-fid, 0.7–1.0 mm long after elongation, glabrous throughout, fused for half of length. Fruiting pedicels 1.3–4 mm long, 1.0–1.4 mm diam. Fruits black at maturity, somewhat glossy, glabrous, obovoid to ovoid, slightly longer than wide, 2-locular, 7–9 (–10) mm long, 6–8 mm diam.; calyx scar 30–50% of distance from pedicel end; mesocarp absent. Endocarpids (when opened) 6.5–8 mm long (excluding apiculum), 6.5–8 mm wide, radius 3.3–4 mm, apiculum 0–0.5 mm long, terminal. Aril maroon; seed dark grey, 4.2–5.3 (–7) mm long.
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