Tree to 10 m tall. Forming a lignotuber.Bark rough, thin, fibrous, grey over brown to orange, normally only on the trunk and larger branches, sometimes on the lower trunk only. Smooth bark on upper trunk or branches grey to brown to white over greenish-grey to yellowish-grey to yellowish-brown to orange-yellow.Juvenile growth (coppice or field seedlings to 50 cm): stem square or rounded in cross-section; sometimes glaucous, juvenile leaves shortly petiolate, alternate, narrowly lanceolate, 6–14 cm long, 1–2.5 cm wide, dull, green to grey-green to sometimes slightly glaucous.Adult leaves alternate, petiole 0.7–2 cm long; blade narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, (5)7.5–13 cm long, 0.9–1.7(2) cm wide, base tapering to petiole, concolorous, dull, grey-green to green, side-veins acute, less than 45° to midrib, moderately reticulate, intramarginal vein parallel to the margin, oil glands numerous and island.Inflorescence axillary unbranched, peduncles 0.3–1.2 cm long, buds 7, pedicellate (pedicels 0.1–0.3 cm long). Mature buds ovoid (0.6–0.8 cm long, 0.3–0.4 cm wide), yellow or creamy, smooth, scar present, operculum conical to horn-shaped (0.4–0.6 cm long), stamens erect to irregularly flexed, anthers cuboid to oblong, versatile, dorsifixed, dehiscing by longitudinal slits (non-confluent), style long, stigma tapered, locules 3 or 4, the placentae each with 6–8 vertical ovule rows. Flowers white.Fruit pedicellate (pedicels 0.1–0.3 cm long), hemispherical or rarely slightly campanulate, 0.2–0.4 cm long, 0.4–0.6 cm wide, disc raised or level, raised disc convex to oblique, valves 3 or 4, strongly exserted.Seeds dark brown, 0.9–1 mm long, pyramidal or ± cuboid, dorsal surface pitted, seed edge toothed, hilum terminal. Cultivated seedlings (measured at ca node 10): cotyledons reniform to oblong or ± bilobed; stems square in cross-section, glaucous or non-glaucous; leaves always petiolate, opposite for the first 3 to 7 nodes then becoming alternate, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, 5.5–13 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, base tapering, apex pointed, dull, grey-green to green.
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