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Fruit a subglobose or obovoid capsule up to 12 cm. in diam. splitting into 5–7 longitudinal sections each with a shallow median rib, subfleshy at first but drying out as it splits and the sections tending to remain connate at the base and apex; pedicels elongating to 5 cm. long in fruit.
Flowers often, but not invariably, appearing with the very young leaves, male or bisexual, in axillary fascicles of (1) 2–6; pedicels 1.5–6 cm. long, densely purple-glandular, with a minute, triangular bracteole at the base.
Petals 8, c. 2 x 1 cm. in male flowers, c. 3 x 1.3 cm. in bisexual flowers, white with golden-yellow veins towards the base, oblong-elliptic, rounded at the apex, margin irregularly undulate.
Ovary ovoid, longitudinally striate, slightly tuberculate, slightly puberulous near the apex; placentas 5–7 with numerous ovules; style 4 mm. long; stigma somewhat peltate with 5–7 folds.
Small deciduous shrub up to c. 1 m. tall with many erect, ± unbranched stems arising from a thick woody rootstock; branches brown, longitudinally striate.
Sepals 1–2 x 0–9 cm., imbricate, very concave, broadly elliptic, glandular on those parts exposed in bud.
Stamens c. 50; filaments 2–4 mm. long; anthers linear, 6–8 mm. long, dehiscing by apical pores.
Seeds many, c. 7 mm. in diam., subglobose or angularly compressed, densely tuberculate.
