Shrub 2-5 m high. Young shoots densely fulvous-tomentose, soon (rarely late) glabrescent; twigs often zig-zag, terete; internodes 1-3 cm. Thorns straight or slightly curved upwards, patent, 3-6 mm (wanting or very small in the Philippine specimens). Leaves herbaceous to subcoriaceous, glabrous with yellowish nerves, (1.7-)2.7-3(-4.4) times as long as wide, often obovate, rarely ovate, (5-)8-16(-27.5) by 2.5-6 (-9) cm; base acute to blunt, sometimes rounded, top acuminate, tip up to 2 cm, acute to blunt; midrib sometimes sulcate above; nerves (6-)7-9(-13) pairs, reticulations distinct; petiole 5-8(-11) mm. Flowers either 1-5(-10) in short, axillary racemes, with a persistent, densely tomentose, subulate bract and 2 smaller basal bracteoles, or sometimes this inflorescence replaced by a short young twig with axillary flowers; racemes and young twigs with a number of minute subulate bract-like leaves at the base. Pedicels 0.5-3(-5) cm, glabrescent. Buds globular to ovoid, c. 5 mm long. Sepals herbaceous, concave, 4.5-7 by 2½-4 mm, outside puberulous, outer pair acute or blunt, sometimes slightly cucullate, inner pair with blunt or rounded top. Petals thin, mostly obovate, 7—10 by 3-4 mm, outside soft-hairy at top and margins. Torus conical, disk c. 1 mm. Stamens 20-30(-50), filaments 15-20(-25) mm, anthers elliptic, 1 by 0.5 mm. Gynophore 15-25 mm, densely tomentose, in fruit glabrescent; ovary ellipsoid, 2.5 by 1.5 mm, hairy as the gynophore, the small, knob-shaped stigma glabrous. Pedicel and gynophore not much incrassate in fruit. Fruit subellipsoid, 12-21 by 10-19 mm, shortly umbonate, pericarp leathery, verruculose, glabrous, black, sometimes with a reddish or bluish tinge. Seeds 5-15(-25), c. 6 by 5 by 4 mm, smooth.
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Shrubs or trees, 2-6 m tall. New branches with dense silky branched trichomes, promptly or eventually glabrescent, at base with needlelike cataphylls ca. 1 mm. Stipular spines 3-6 mm, flat or slightly recurved, sometimes absent. Petiole 6-8(-12) mm; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate to rarely nearly obovate, 6-15.5 × (1.6-)2.5-6 cm, ± leathery, grass-yellow to olive-colored when dry, midvein abaxially raised and adaxially almost flat, secondary veins (6 or)7-10(-12) on each side of midvein, thin, and yellow, reticulate veins obvious, base cuneate, broadly cuneate, or sometimes nearly rounded, apex acuminate with a tip to 2 cm, sometimes abruptly acute, or rarely obtuse. Inflorescences axillary, racemes, 1-5(-10)-flowered; rachis base and apex with subulate scales 1-2.5 mm. Pedicel 1-2[-4] cm, tomentose at anthesis but later glabrescent, base with a narrow bract. Sepals 4-6 × 2.5-4 mm, ± equal, outside shortly pubescent; sepals of outer whorl with apex acute to obtuse; sepals of inner whorl with apex obtuse to rounded. Petals white, pink, or pale green, oblong-obovate, 8-10 × 3-4 mm, apex outside tomentose. Stamens 20-30; filaments 2-3 cm; anthers 0.7-1.2 mm. Gynophore 1.5-2.5 cm, densely white tomentose at anthesis but glabrescent in fruit; ovary ellipsoid, ca. 1.5 × 1 mm, densely white tomentose at anthesis but later glabrescent; placentae 2 or 3; ovules many. Fruit black, subglobose to almost ellipsoid, 8-10(-20) mm in diam., glabrous, smooth or verruculose, apex umbonate; pericarp solid; stipe ca. 0.5 mm thick. Seeds 5-15(-25) per fruit, black, ca. 6 × 5 × 4 mm. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jul-Dec.
More or less dry places, such as hedges, roadsides, teak forests, brushwood, jungle, up to 400(-600) m. Fl. June-July, fr.--03.
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