Small to large trees. Leaves: petiole 0.5-6.5 cm long, not to slightly winged by decurrent lamina, not swollen at base; lamina ovate-oblong to obovate-oblong, 13-57 by 5.5-26 cm, chartaceous to coriaceous, base slightly confluent onto petiole, margin entire, slightly revolute, apex acute to caudate or obtuse, lower surface glabrous; midrib prominulous above, prominent beneath, primary veins 9-23 pairs, brochidodromous, merging through network of veins 2-5 mm from margin, prominulous on both surfaces, intercostal veins prominulous on both surfaces. Cataphylls absent to few, triangular or lanceolate, 5-12 by 3-4 mm, fimbriate, apex acute. Inflorescences terminal racemes or borne on trunk well below leaf cluster, pendulous, 11-47 cm long, pulverulent, sparsely grey-puberulous or glabrous, c. 30-flowered. Calyx closed in bud, in subsp. novae-hiberniae with a large circular pore, sometimes rupturing into lobes, 6-10 mm high, green to pinkish to purple. Flowers sessile or with pedicels 2-10 mm long, in subsp. kassamii borne on raised knobs; hypanthium subtetragonous to campanulate, 3-8 by 4-6 by 4-6 mm, puberulous; sepals circumscissile, sparsely puberulous on exterior, dark red; petals 4-5, elliptic, 2.5-4.5 by 1.5-2.25 cm, cream tinged purple or pink; stamens cream or white tinged red at apex, staminal whorls 3 or 8-10, the inner one with poorly developed anthers or staminodal, staminal tube 5-9 mm high, staminodia 1.5-2.25 cm; disc a flat wide ring, c. 2 mm high; ovary 4-locular, 1-3 ovules per locule; style 2-7 cm long. Fruits and seeds only known of subsp. novae-hiberniae, see there.
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