Liana climbing to a considerable height or scandent shrub. Young branchlets ferrugineous-scaly, soon glabrescent. Leaves opposite, papyraceous to chartaceous, elliptic, often shiny above, densely scaly but scales not individually conspicuous, otherwise nearly glabrous except for some pubescence, nearly always present, on the midrib at the base of the lower surface of the leaf, 6-15(-20) by 3-6(-11) cm, usually slightly or distinctly acuminate at the apex and cuneate or rounded at the base; nerves 6-8 pairs; petiole 3-10 mm long, scaly and often somewhat pubescent. Inflorescences scaly and pubescent, of lateral spikes and terminal panicles of spikes, spikes rarely more than 2-3 cm long and often subcapituliform. Flowers 4-merous, sessile, yellow, greenish yellow or greenish white, sweet-scented, 4½-7½ mm long measuring to the tips of the calyx-lobes. Lower receptacle (ovary) 2-2½ mm long, densely ferrugineous-scaly, otherwise glabrous, constricted at the apex; upper receptacle cupuliform at the apex, 1 by 3 mm, with 4 triangular acute calyx-lobes, basal portion containing the disk broadly infundibuliform, 1½ by 1 mm, densely ferrugineous-scaly, otherwise usually glabrous. Petals 4, glabrous, oblanceolate, 2½-3 by 0.8 mm. Stamens 8; filaments 4-4½ mm long; anthers ½ mm long. Disk well-developed with a short free margin, densely pilose so that the flowers appear barbate within. Style 6 mm long. Fruit ovoid or ovoid-ellpsoid in outline, densely scaly, 2½-3.8 by 1.2-1.8 cm with 4 stiff, narrow, sharp-edged wings or ridges, along which it eventually dehisces.
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