Tree up to 50 m by 120 cm, with up to 1.5 m high buttresses; in young specimens the stem and branches thorny. Branchlets stout, 1.5-2 cm thick, glabrous except the densely reddish-brown tomentose terminal bud which is c. 3.5 cm long, acute and often curved; pith thick with numerous, scattered, small vascular strands, most of them crowded towards the periphery. Stipules nearly always absent, if present early caducous, inserted at the base of the petiole, subulate, c. 3 mm. Leaves 7-11-jugate, often without a terminal leaflet. Leaflets oblong, up to 23 cm long by 5-8 cm, herbaceous (to subchartaceous), glabrous, rough above; base very broad, subcordate to broadly cuneate; margin entire; apex rounded, abruptly shortly and blunt-acumi-nate, or gradually long (-2.5 cm) acute-acuminate; nerves up to more than 30 pairs (angle 80-90°), s-shaped to faintly curving, close to the margin abruptly strongly curving upwards and more or less distinctly arching. Inflorescences axillary, broadly and laxly paniculate, up to 45 cm long, many-flowered, slightly puberulous towards the tips or glabrous, main branches up to 17 cm, narrowly paniculate on a long stalk; bracts minute, squamate. Female inflorescence like the male ones. Flowers subsessile, 8-9 mm long, glabrous outside. ♀ Flowers 6 mm long, the calyx 2½ mm. Calyx 3 mm high. Petals towards the top much incrassate with rugose lateral surfaces. Stamens glabrous, 7 mm long, connate for (2-)4-5 mm. Disk about globular, with 6 thick lobes and a central canal, 1 mm high, minutely pubescent, without pistil. Infructescences laxly paniculate, 20-30 cm long, with c. 15-20 fruits, glabrous; calyx saucer-shaped, triangular, 7 mm diam.; remains of the disk faintly 6-lobed, about 1 mm high, fimbriate. Fruits ovoid, rounded 3-angular in cross-section, 1.5 by 1 cm, glabrous; pyrene nearly smooth; lids 1 mm thick. Seeds 2, sterile cell slightly smaller.
In primary and secondary forests, up to 500 m, fl. May, Oct., Nov. (Sum.), fr. Oct. (Mal. Pen.).
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