Evergreen shrubs to small trees, to 6 m tall; branches terete, twigs striate, green or brown when dry. Petiole sturdy, short, 5-9 mm; leaf blade leathery, elliptic, ovate-elliptic, or obovate-elliptic, 6-9 × 2.5-4 cm, base cuneate or attenuate, margin entire, apex acute, acuminate, or sometimes shortly apiculate; lateral veins 7 or 8 pairs, obscure or invisible, disappearing before reaching margin. Peduncle ca. 9 mm, usually 1 or 2 × dichotomously branched, several flowered; pedicel short, less than 3 mm. Flowers 4-merous, ca. 10 cm in diam.; sepals suborbicular; petals white, suborbicular. Capsule reddish brown when fresh, dark brown or gray when dry, 1-1.5 cm in diam., 4-lobed, lobes ovoid. Seeds 2 per locule, brown. Aril red. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Aug-Nov.