Small dioecious or ?monoecious tree 1.5–7.5 m tall or shrub to 3 m, with reddish or purplish brown stems; young shoots glabrous, with fissured epidermis red-brown beneath (or in one specimen from Kwiro minutely puberulous); slash brown, paler towards wood.. Leaves only slightly discolorous, not or slightly coriaceous, elliptic, 2.5–11.5(–13) cm long, 1.5–5.5 cm wide, acute, ± obtuse, rounded or ± acuminate to sharply acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, glabrous, densely black gland-dotted beneath; petiole distinct, 5–8 mm long.. Flowers sweetly scented, in 2–26-flowered fascicles; pedicels 0.5–1.8 cm long, gland-dotted, glabrous; bracteoles usually linear-lanceolate, 1.5 mm long, slightly pubescent or (in W Usambaras) minute or ± obsolete in some specimens.. Calyx-tube narrow, 1.5–3 mm long; larger lobes elliptic, 2.2–6 mm long, 2.2–4 mm wide; smaller ± ovate, 1.5–3 mm long, 1.5–4 mm wide, all gland-dotted and not or scarcely ciliate.. Petals white, elliptic, oblate or oblong, 3.5–6.5 mm long, 2.5–6 mm wide, reflexed.. Disc densely shortly pubescent.. Male flowers with ± 25–50 stamens with filaments 3–5 mm long; anthers 0.8 mm long. Style rudimentary, 0.5–2 mm long (or ± absent), pilose at the base.. Female flowers with fewer shorter stamens. Style 4–5 mm long, much exceeding the filaments; stigma punctate or ± bifid-peltate.. Fruit reddish, eventually almost black, ellipsoid or obpyriform, (0.6–)1.8 cm long, 7–13 mm wide, densely pustulate, crowned by persistent sepals; fruiting pedicels 0.8–1.6 cm long.
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