Tree to 12 m. high, with a trunk to 45 cm. in diameter, rarely branched, and grey-brown roughened fissured bark irregularly marked with pit-scars resulting from fallen branches; seedlings 4–5-angled; branches spreading upwards, to 2.5 m. long, rebranching to form a ± compact rounded or flattened crown; terminal branches fleshy, 3–5-angled, to 15 cm. wide, prominendy and stoudy winged, deeply constricted to form subcircular or ovate segments to 20 cm. long, or shallowly constricted into oblong segments with undulate margins in young plants; angles sinuately toothed, with teeth 1–3 cm. apart, ± regularly spaced on older plants.. Spine-shields forming a continuous horny margin 3–8 mm. wide; spines stout 5–15(–25) mm. long; prickles vestigial; a pair of secondary spines to 2.5 mm. long often flanking the flowering eye.. Leaves deltoid, ± 2 × 3 mm.. Cymes 1–3 in a horizontal row, or 4–5 crowded together, 1-forked in a vertical plane, peduncles and cyme-branches very stout, 5–8 × 5–8 mm.; bracts rounded, ± 5 × 9 mm.. Cyathia 4.5–6 × 10–12 mm., with cup-shaped involucres; glands transversely oblong, 2.5–3 × 5–6 mm., just touching, yellow; lobes subquadrate, ± 2 × 2.5 mm., conspicuously toothed.. Male flowers many: bracteoles deeply laciniate; stamens 6–7 mm. long.. Female flower: perianth conspicuous, 3-lobed, with lobes to 3 mm. long; styles 4.5–7 mm. long, joined at the base for ± 1/3 their length, apices thickened, rugulose, ± bifid.. Capsule exserted on a stout pedicel 5–8 mm. long, 3-lobed with truncate base and slightly pointed apex, 12 × 22–25 mm., ± fleshy and becoming bright red.. Seeds subglobose, slightly compressed laterally, ± 4.8 × 4.5 mm., buff with dark speckles and streaks, smooth.
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