Tree 10 m tall, semi-deciduous in the dry season. Forming a lignotuber.Bark smooth throughout, or with a 0.5 m stocking of thin flaky grey rough to scaly bark on the lower trunk, not clearly tessellated nor with clearly demarcated transition to smooth bark; smooth bark white shedding in thin small sheets to show cream new bark; often powdery.Branchlets lack discrete oil glands in the pith, however some elongated more duct-like cavities present; younger branchlets scabrid to densely setose. In this species the setae (bristle-glands) bear numerous simple hairs and thus may appear branched.Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stems rounded in cross-section, densely setose with setae bearing small simple hairs; leaves opposite, always petiolate with petioles ca 0.2–1 cm long, cordate to ovate, 10–22.5 cm long, 5.5–13 cm wide, base usually lobed, stem-clasping when petioles are short, or sometimes rounded, margin entire, apex rounded, green, discolorous, setose. Crown of intermediate to adult leaves, opposite or alternate, always petiolate, petioles 0.2–1.2(1.8) cm long; oblong-elliptic to cordate or ovate or tending to lanceolate, 6–15 cm long, 3.6–8.5(10) cm wide, usually undulate, base lobed or rounded, margin entire or distantly indented, apex rounded or pointed, concolorous, dull, green, densely setose with bristle-glands bearing simple hairs and thus appearing branched, side-veins at greater than 45° to midrib, reticulation dense to very dense, intramarginal vein present, oil glands obscure. Inflorescence borne on leafless branchlets below new season’s leaf growth, axillary compound, the rhachis consisting of a basal internode ca 0.2–0.5 cm long, a second internode absent or to 0.5 cm long, and peduncles of variable length within a single inflorescence, 0.1–1.1 cm long, buds in 7s and ?3s, strongly pedicellate (pedicels 0.6–1.8 cm). Mature buds pyriform to obovoid, 0.5–0.7 cm long, 0.4–0.6 cm wide, smooth, scar present (outer operculum shed early), operculum shallowly rounded to flattened, stamens inflexed, all fertile, anthers oblong, dorsifixed, versatile, dehiscing by longitudinal slits, style long and straight, stigma tapered, locules 3, the ovules not arranged in distinct vertical rows on the placentae. Flowers creamy white.Fruit pedicellate (pedicels (0.2)0.7–1.7 cm long), barrel-shaped or cylindrical to cupular, 0.7–1.2 cm long, 0.6–0.8 cm wide, thin-walled, disc descending vertically, valves 3, enclosed.Seeds brown, saucer-shaped, smooth, hilum ventral. Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): not grown
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