A much-branched shrub or small tree up to 6-10 m in height, occasionally slightly taller. Bark: pale grey or grey-brown, rather smooth, mottled with lichen; branches often horizontal; young branchlets and growing tips with bristly hairs. Leaves: alternate along the very slender branchlets, elliptic to ovate, 1-4 x 0.5-2 cm, glossy dark green above, rather paler green, with 5-9 pairs of lateral veins and net-veining visible as darker green below; apex tapering to a rounded point; base rounded to almost square; margin entire, with hairs when young but soon losing them; petiole slender, 1-2 mm long, hairy when young. Flowers: small, white, solitary or in 2-or 3-flowered axillary heads, up to 7 mm long (Jul.-Nov.). Fruit: slender, up to 1.2 x 0.6 cm, sharply tipped, yellowish, persistent calyx cup-shaped, with 3 lobes, covering almost half the fruit, like a miniature acorn; 1-seeded (Sept.-May).
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