Shrub or small tree up to c. 7 m high, usually single-stemmed; d.b.h. 18 cm. Branchlets terete, minutely puberulous, glabrescent. Stipules or stipular glands not seen. Leaves: rachis 24-65 cm, densely puberulous or glabrous, glands circular, elliptic or transversely elliptic, raised, hollow, urceolate or crater-shaped, 1-5 mm in diameter, minutely puberulous or glabrous; pinnae 2-4 pairs, (6-) 10-50 cm, ± puberulous, glands crater-shaped, 0.5-1.5 mm in diameter, puberulous or glabrous; petiolules 5-6 mm, ± puberulous or glabrous; leaflets 2-6 pairs per pinna, opposite, proximal pair occasionally subopposite, chartaceous, drying grey-green, unequal-sided, ovate, elliptic, or ovate-lanceolate, 4-22.5 by 3.5-9(-14) cm; base narrowly or broadly cuneate, apex acuminate; both surfaces glabrous or lower surface puberulous on the major veins; principal lateral veins 5 or 6 per leaflet-half, arching; reticulation prominulous above, raised beneath. Inflorescences cauliflorous, consisting of long, slender, puberulous racemes, 20-70 cm; floral bracts linear, c. 1 mm, pedicels 1,8-2.7 cm, solitary or paired, puberulous. Flowers pentamerous, male or bisexual. Calyx cup-shaped, 2-3(-4) mm, puberulous, truncate or with very small teeth, to 1 mm. Corolla pale green or greenish cream, funnel-shaped, 6-9 mm, shortly tomentose or densely appressed puberulous; lobes ovate, acute, 2-4 mm. Stamens white, 15-20 mm; tube equalling the corolla-tube, but tube in bisexual flowers shorter, c. 4 mm or more. Ovaries 2-6 per flower, glabrous (in male flowers long, thin, translucent). Pods up to 3 per flower, bright red when young, becoming brown, velutinous at maturity, pale yellow to white inside, spirally contorted, usually moniliform, 8-24 cm, hard-fleshy or coriaceous, divided in up to 15 rounded compartments, 1-2.4 cm high, 1-1.8 cm wide, separated by necks 0.2-0.6 cm wide, veins inconspicuous, dehiscing along both sutures. Seeds black or bluish-black, ellipsoid, slightly compressed, 11-8 by 8-10 mm, with a red funicle.
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