Trees, up to 25 m tall, to 30 cm d.b.h. Old branchlets robust, ± angled, striate, densely rusty pubescent or sometimes ± glabrate; young branchlets slender, ca. 4 mm in diam., densely rusty pubescent. Leaves alternate; petiole robust, 1-1.5 cm, plano-convex, very densely rusty pubescent; leaf blade abaxially glaucous green, adaxially yellowish green when dry, opaque or shiny, narrowly elliptic, (9-)15-28 × (2.5-)5.5-14 cm, leathery, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous except rusty pubescent along midrib or sometimes also along lateral veins, midrib and lateral veins conspicuously elevated abaxially, always impressed adaxially, lateral veins (7-)9-11 pairs, transverse veins conspicuous abaxially, ± impressed adaxially, veinlets laxly reticulate, conspicuous abaxially, base broadly cuneate, obtuse to subrounded, apex rounded and abruptly apiculate or sometimes incised but always acute. Panicles axillary and terminal, those arising from upper leaf axils shorter, (5-)7.5-15 cm, terminal ones longer, up to 19 cm, all towerlike, branched, densely rusty pubescent; peduncles (2-)2.5-4.5 cm; bracts and bracteoles ovate, ca. 3 × 2 mm, densely rusty pubescent. Pedicels very short, less than 1 mm, rusty pubescent. Flowers yellowish, ca. 5 mm. Perianth pubescent outside and inside; perianth tube turbinate, ca. 2.5 mm; perianth lobes oblong-ovate, ca. 2.5 mm, acute. Fertile stamens 9, slightly shorter than perianth lobes; filaments villous, those of 3rd whorl each with 2 shortly stalked reniform glands, others glandless; anthers 2-celled; cells of 1st and 2nd whorls introrse, those of 3rd whorl extrorse. Staminodes narrowly sagittate-triangular, ca. 2 mm, shortly stalked. Ovary clavate, including style ca. 4 mm, attenuate at apex into a style; stigma inconspicuous. Mature fruit black-purple, ellipsoid, up to 3.4 × 2 cm, subglabrous or sparsely pubescent at apex, inconspicuously 12-angulate, obtuse at apex, abruptly contracted into a short stalk at base. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Jun-Dec.
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