A shrub or more commonly a low-branched small to large tree up to 30 m. with a spreading rounded crown.. Trunk sometimes spiny.. Bark grey, brown or reddish brown, ± smooth or reticulate, flaking and roughened.. Twigs dark brown, purplish brown or blackish, usually prominently lenticellate.. Young shoots and petioles sparingly, evenly or densely ferruginous pubescent, later glabrescent.. Petioles 5–10 mm. long; leaf-blades elliptic, elliptic-obovate or elliptic-oblong, (4–)6–15(–21) cm. long, (2–)3–7(–10) cm. wide, obtuse or subacute or obtusely to subacutely shortly acuminate at apex, cuneate-rounded, rounded, truncate or shallowly cordate at base, thinly coriaceous, lateral nerves (11–)12–18(–20) pairs, craspedodromous, not prominent above but prominent beneath, tertiary nerves parallel, slightly to fairly prominent beneath, quaternary nerves not prominent, evenly to sparingly pubescent along the midrib and main nerves above, otherwise subglabrous, densely, evenly or sparingly pubescent along the midrib and main nerves beneath, otherwise evenly pubescent to subglabrous, pale apple-green to deep green and shiny above, pale dull green beneath, with the nerves yellow-green and pellucid, usually becoming blackish or dark brown above and reddish brown beneath on drying.. Stipules soon caducous.. Flowers in terminal leafless, spicate or paniculate clusters, 3–14 cm. long; axes densely ferruginous pubescent; bracts ovate-lanceolate, not or scarcely keeled, ferruginous pubescent without, glabrous within.. Male flowers: pedicels 1.5 mm. long, glabrous; sepals triangular-ovate, 2 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. wide, acute, glabrous, pale yellow-green; petals spathulate-flabelliform, 0.7 mm. long, denticulate in the upper half; disc annular, 1.5 mm. across, entire, verrucose, glabrous, deep yellow; staminal column 0.5 mm. high; filaments white; anthers 1 mm. long; pistillode conical, 0.5 mm. tall, bifid at the apex, the lobes connivent.. Female flowers: pedicels 0.5 mm. long, pubescent; sepals triangular-lanceolate, 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide, acute, glabrous; petals oblanceolate, 1 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide, toothed at the apex, glabrous; outer disc cuguliform, 2 mm. across, verruculose, inner disc divided into 4–5 deeply laciniate lobes enclosing the ovary; ovary ellipsoid, 1.5 mm. long, 2-locular, pale yellow; styles 2, ± free, bifid.. Fruits ellipsoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, 1-locular by abortion, 7–12 mm. long, 4–7 mm. wide, smooth, shiny, yellow-green at first later becoming purple or purplish black and somewhat translucent.. Seed 5–6 mm. long, smooth, brown.. Fig. 23/9–12, p. 124.
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Leaf blades 4–17 × 2–11 cm, elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong, shortly acutely to obtusely acuminate at the apex, cuneate-rounded to truncate or shallowly cordate at the base, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, glabrous above with the midrib and lateral nerves sparingly pubescent above, more evenly pubescent beneath, dark green above, paler beneath, often drying blackish above and brownish beneath; lateral nerves in 11–20 pairs, cheilodromous, often branched, scarcely prominent above, prominent beneath, tertiary nerves parallel.
Female flowers subsessile or very shortly pedicellate; sepals 2 × 1.5 mm, triangular-ovate, otherwise as in male; petals oblanceolate, otherwise as in male; outer disk similar to that of male; inner disk irregularly 3-lobed, lobes c. 1 × 1 mm, ± triangular, irregularly lobulate at apex; ovary 1 × 1 mm, subglobose, 2-celled; styles 2, 1.3 mm long, united at the base, bifid, stigmas ± smooth.
Male flowers: pedicels 1.5 mm long, glabrous; sepals 2.5 × 1 mm, triangular-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, pale greenish; petals 1 × 0.5 mm, spathulate-flabelliform, tridentate, yellowish-green; disk 2 mm in diameter, annular, verruculose, yellow; staminal column 1.5 mm high; anthers 0.8 mm long; pistillode 0.75 mm high, ampulliform, bifid at the apex, the lobes connivent.
Fruit 9–12 × 5–7 mm, ellipsoid to ovoid-ellipsoid, 1-locular by abortion, green at first, later becoming purple or purplish-black.
A deciduous tree up to 33 m high with a spreading crown, borne on stilt roots or with fluted buttresses up to 3 m high.
Young shoots, petioles and inflorescence axes evenly to sparingly pubescent or ± glabrous.
Flowers in terminal leafless or almost leafless panicles 3–13 cm long.
Stipules very fugacious; scars 3 mm long.
Twigs dark purplish-brown or blackish.
Bark smooth or scaly, pinkish-brown.
Seed 7 × 5 mm, smooth, brown.
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