Tree 3.5–11.5 m. tall with a regular spreading crown; trunk ± 60 cm. in diameter at breast height; outer bark of trunk and larger branches peeling annually about July in large papery creamy flakes, the trees pale yellowish green before and bright blue-green after peeling; exudate strongly pine-scented, of a resinous consistency; young twigs silvery grey, fluted, sparsely puberulous at first, soon glabrescent, ± 1.6 mm. in diameter; lateral twigs, which may be short and tapering and almost at right-angles to the main branches, have been loosely described as spines but seem always to end in leaves and not to be truly spinose.. Leaves 3–7-foliolate, glabrous or very sparsely puberulous; rhachis up to 6 cm. including a petiole up to 4 cm. long, often prolonged up to 8 mm. beyond the lateral leaflets; lateral petiolules up to 2 mm. long; leaflets elliptic to narrowly ovate, acute or acuminate, with serrate margins, up to 35 mm. long and 23 mm. wide, the ultimate vein-network dark and distinct but not prominent.. Inflorescences glabrous or subglabrous umbelliform cymes on peduncles up to 5 cm. long, appearing with or before the young leaves; the ♂ 5–7-flowered, ♀ 1–3-flowered; bracts linear, 1–6 mm. long; pedicels up to 5 mm. long.. Flowers glabrous, greenish yellow.. Receptacle top-shaped, ribbed, 1.5 mm. long, 1.2 mm. wide.. Calyx ± 1 mm. long, divided almost to the base into triangular-ovate lobes.. Petals linear-oblong, 2.3 mm. long, 0.4 mm. wide.. Filaments 1.3 and 1.0 mm., anthers 1.0 and 0.9 mm. long.. Fruits single or paired on peduncles up to 15 mm. and pedicels up to 11 mm. long, when fresh ± 15 × 10 mm., becoming damson-coloured, when dry 11 mm. (including a 1 mm. apiculum) × 8 × (1.3 + 2.5) mm.; pseudaril cupular at the base, with 2 broadly ovate-oblong facial lobes and no sutural lobes; stone cordate at the base, flattened-ellipsoid, 7–9 × 5–6 × (1 + 2) mm.. Fig. 14/1–4.
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