Trees, 10-21 m tall. Leaves: petioles 1.5-5 cm long, slightly winged, slightly swollen at base; lamina obovate-oblong to obovate-lanceolate, 10-23 by 3-8 cm, thick-coriaceous, base cuneate, margin entire, revolute, apex acuminate or rarely acute or rounded, the lower surface glabrous; midrib prominulous above, prominent beneath, primary veins 9-18 pairs, brochidodromous, merging by network of veins 1-2 mm from margin, weakly prominulous on both surfaces, intercostal veins prominulous and conspicuously reticulate on both surfaces. Cataphylls c. 6 by 1.5 mm. Inflorescences terminal racemes, pendulous, laxly flowered, 25-86 cm long; rachis 3-4 mm diam., yellow-puberulous, glabrescent; bracts lanceolate, 5-11 by 1-3 mm. Calyx closed in bud, with an apical pore when young, rupturing into 3-4 equal segments of 1-1.75 by 1-2 cm. Flowers with pedicels 0.5-1.5 cm long, slightly puberulous towards base; hypanthium tubular, tetragonous, glabrous or puberulous, 7-10 by 4-7 mm; sepals oblong, 9-18 mm long, glabrous, enlarging and persisting on young fruit; petals 4, obovate to elliptic, 3.5-4.5 by 2-2.5 cm, red or white; stamens white with red or pink apex, staminal whorls 4, the inner one staminodal, staminal tube 2-3 mm, staminodia c. 1.25 cm; disc annular, 1-1.5 mm high; ovary 4-locular, 3-5 ovules per locule; style 4-5.5 cm long. Fruits oblong, tetragonous, truncate, 13-14 by 5-5.5 by 4.5 cm. Seeds ovoid, deeply fissured, c. 7 by 2.5 cm.