Tree 4–12 m. tall without spines on the branches, but one collector mentions spines 4–7 cm. long on the main stem; trunk up to 25 cm. diameter; bark coppery grey, smooth, sometimes papery, sometimes horizontally folded; exudate clear, scented; young branches rather stout (± 4 mm. diameter), brownish pubescent, later glabrescent.. Leaves clustered at the ends of branches, up to 22 cm. long, including a petiole of 4–5 cm., 5–15-foliolate, tomentose, the indumentum sparse and short on the upper surface which is green with the epidermis visible between the hairs, dense and long on the lower surface which is yellowish grey, the epidermis completely hidden by hairs; leaflets elliptic-oblong, almost sessile or with petiolules under 1 mm. long, rounded at the base, acuminate apically, up to 7 cm. long and 3 cm. wide; largest just above the centre of the leaf, those above this a little smaller, the basal pairs much smaller; margin broadly and rather obscurely crenate or crenate-serrate.. Flowers appearing with the leaves along with brownish tomentose ovate-oblong or spathulate prophylls up to 13 mm. long and 4 mm. broad.. Male inflorescences of 1–3 dense subglobose tomentose clusters 11–15 mm. in diameter on peduncles up to 5 cm. long; pedicels 1–2 mm. long; flowers when young often out-topped by narrow densely tomentose bracts up to 9 mm. long; calyx tomentose, divided to the middle into narrowly ovate lobes; petals narrowly oblong, densely tomentose outside, widened towards the tip, ± 4.5 mm. long; filaments 3.5 and 2.5 mm.; anthers 0.7 and 0.5 mm. long.. Female inflorescence very similar to the ♂.. Fruiting peduncle up to 8 cm. long; fruit flattened-ellipsoid, puberulous or glabrescent, 15–17 × 13–14 × (3 + 6) mm.; pericarp 2-valved; pseudaril with 4 broad arms with undulate margins which reach the tip of the rather lumpy stone which measures ± 10 × 8 × (2 + 3) mm., both faces gently convex.. Fig. 10/8–11, p. 59.
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