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A shrub or small tree. It grows 2-4 m tall. The bark is grey. There are usually many spines at the base. The spines in the axils of the leaves can be 7-8 cm long. The leaves are small and oval They are 0.8-3.5 cm long by 0.6-2.3 cm wide. The are dull green and hairy. The flowers are small and green. They occur in the axils of leaves. They can be single or in clusters of 2-4. The fruit are almost round and fleshy. They are 1-2 cm across. They are bright red when mature.
Leaf-lamina 0.8–3.5 x 0.6–2.3 cm., broadly elliptic to obovate, apex obtuse, rounded or retuse, base obtuse or cuneate, margin shallowly crenate or subentire, sparsely hispidulous and dull on both sides, nerves inconspicuous above, visible below but fading towards the leaf margins, 3-nerved from the base, 3–4 pairs of nerves above the base anastomosing well within the margins; petiole up to 0.8 cm. long, hispidulous.
Female flowers solitary, pedicels slender, glabrescent, up to 1.2 cm. long; calyx lobes 5–6, c. 2 x 2 mm., persistent, but not accrescent in fruit, broadly ovate to orbicular, margins minutely dentate or very shortly fimbriate, hispidulous outside; annular disk scarcely undulate, subentire, sparsely hispidulous; ovary pilose or glabrescent, ovoid; styles 2–3, 1 mm. long, pubescent or glabrous.
Male flowers in axillary fascicles of 1–4; pedicels slender, 2–3 mm. long, puberulous; calyx of 4–6 subequal lobes divided almost to the base, lobes broadly ovate, c. 2 x 1.3 mm., apex obtuse, margin entire or minutely dentate towards the apex, sparsely hispidulous outside; stamens numerous on filaments (? immature) c. 0.5 mm. long; inter-staminal glands very sparsely hispidulous at the apex.
Shrub or small tree with grey or greyish-brown spiny branches with scattered pale lenticels, pubescent at first, glabrescent later; spines axillary, numerous, slender, straight and very acute, pubescent at first, glabrescent later, up to 4 cm. long.
Seeds 2–3, c. 7 x 5 mm., ellipsoid with a woolly testa.
Fruit 1–2 cm. in diam., fleshy, hispidulous.
