Small to medium sized trees, 3-25 m tall. Leaves: petioles 1-5 cm long, slightly swollen at base; lamina elliptic to obovate-oblong or obovate-lanceolate, 13-40(-50) by 5-16 cm, chartaceous or coriaceous, base cuneate, decurrent onto petiole, margin entire, flat, apex obtuse or acute, lower surface glabrous; midrib prominulous above, prominent beneath, primary veins (7-)10-14 pairs, brochidodromous, weakly merging near margin, prominulous on both surfaces, intercostal veins prominulous and conspicuously reticulate on both surfaces. Inflorescences pendulous, glabrous, ramiflorous or cauliflorous racemes, below leaves, 10-45 cm long with up to 40 flowers; rachis 2-3 mm diam., glabrous or grey-pulverulent; bracts lanceolate, c. 7 by 1.5 mm; bracteoles triangular, c. 1 by 0.5 mm. Calyx closed in bud, with a small acute beak at apex, glabrous, either rupturing circumscissile above base to discard cap, or rarely rupturing into 4 irregular segments, 2.5-5 by 6-13 mm, leaving a cup 2-8 mm high. Flowers with pedicels 4-27 mm long, usually articulate; hypanthium obpyramidal, 3-4-gonous, glabrous or pulverulent; petals elliptic, 22-40 by 7-18 mm, fimbriate, white tinged red; stamens white, yellowish towards apex, staminal whorls 5, 7 or 8, 1-2 inner ones staminodal, staminal tube 2-6(-11) mm high, staminodia connate up to 5-11 mm and free part 1-6(-10) mm; disc a thick grooved ring; ovary 3-4-locular, 0-6 ovules per locule; style 1.6-4 cm long, pale at base, violet-red towards apex. Fruits ovoid, c. 4.5 by 2.3 by 2.1 cm, truncate and tapering at base. Seeds ovoid, 3.5 by 1.3 by 1.3 cm.
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