Tree 7-37 m; crown small, not widely spreading. Bark brown or greyish brown, often soft-suberose and thin (2-6 mm), fissured lengthwise or scaly. Branches 2-3(-4) mm diam., with large lenticels in the light brown bark, sometimes giving a warty appearance; very young branchlets 1-2 mm diam. Leaves abundant at the ends of the twigs, narrowly elliptic, c. 6-12(-17) by 1-4(-5) cm; dark green often shining above, light green and less shining beneath, acuminate with an obtuse tip, base cuneate, midrib always more or less prominent above, very prominent and yellowish beneath; nerves on both sides slightly prominent, venation delicate; areolation often distinct; petiole c. 4-8 mm. Stipules oblong-lanceolate, longer than or as long as the petiole, rarely somewhat carinate, c. (4-)8-11(-20) by (1-)2-4(-5) mm; top more or less falcate. Ramenta none. Flowers in clusters of (2-)4-8(-20). Bracteoles triangular, scarious, rather large, sometimes up to 2 mm. Pedicels thickened towards the calyx, c. 5-10 mm. Calyx tube c. 2.5-1.5 mm high, lobes triangular, c. ½-1½ mm; acuminate with a bluntish tip. Petals white, yellow to greenish yellow and cream, outside light brown, oblong, convex, 1-nerved with 2 lateral nerves in the blade, c. 4-5 by 1.25-2 mm; ligule 3-lobed, half as long as the blade, claw c. 1/3 as long as the petal. Brachystylous flowers. Staminal tube c. 1.25-2 mm; stamens unequal; episepalous filaments c. 0.5-1 mm, epipetalous ones c. 1-2 mm; anthers light purple, c. 0.5-1 by 0.5 and 0.25-0.5 by 0.25-0.5 mm respectively. Ovary 1-celled, oblong, exceeding the staminal tube, c. 2-3 by ¼-¾ mm, light yellow; style none or very short, stigmas (2-)3, brown, clavate, c. 0.5 mm. Drupe ovoid or broadly ovoid, often curved, when maturing turning from yellow via orange to red; more or less compressed, sometimes slightly oblique with a rounded top, c. 8-12(-17) by 5-7(-8) mm and c. 4-5 mm thick. Seeds without endosperm; embryo c. 6-9(-15) by 3-5(-6) mm with more or less ovate, thick cotyledons c. 5-7.5 by 3-5 mm and a distinct radicle c. 1-2 by 0.5 mm.
A very common subsidiary tree of scattered occurrence in the Moluccas and New Guinea, from the lowland up to 2000 m in primary rainforests on slopes and mountain ridges, on rocky and clayey soils, in Halmaheira on coral rock. Fl.-fr. Jan.-Dec.
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