Tree, l½-22m; d.b.h. 12-60cm; bole3-12m; bark grey, scaly; mostly ± glabrous in all its parts. Leaves obovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, coriaceous, usually very laxly haired on the midrib (and nerves) below, very rarely yellow short-velutinous on inflorescence, midrib, nerves and petiole, fine dark-dotted beneath, 9-40 by 4½-25 cm, rarely with some scattered larger glands; base rounded to cuneate or subcordate, apex rounded; petiole 2½-7 cm. Peduncle 3-7 cm; rachis 1-11 cm; triads ½- stalked; pedicels 4-15 mm. Bud spindle-shaped to obovoid. Calyx glabrous, very rarely haired on the mid-sepaline ribs, pustular towards apex but the pustules hardly ever opening as crateriform glands, 15-17 mm long, lobes 5 sub-equal, 3-6 by 2½-5 mm, c. 2½-3 ½ times as short as the tube. Corolla tube inside near the stamens capitate-glandular hairy. Placentas in each cell 2, nearly confluent. Capsule 6-9 by c. 2-2½ cm. Seeds incl. wings 1½ by 1 cm.
Both in high forest and in savannah, but more commonly in pyrogenous grassland (Gleichenia-Ischaemum), as a pioneer, often flowering and fruiting already when small, 10-700 (-1000) m. Fl. fr. March-Oct.
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