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Leaves incompletely expanded at flowering time; leaf-lamina c. 1–2 × 1–1·25 cm. expanding to 5–6 × 2–5 cm. in fruit, oblong, ovate-oblong or subobovate-rhombic, acute at the apex, margin denticulate and becoming irregularly serrate with age, rounded or broadly cuneate at the base, subtomentose on both surfaces but not discolorous when young, sparsely pubescent in fruit; petiole 1–4 mm. long, pubescent; stipules subulate, exceeding the petiole at flowering time; bud-scales persistent, characteristically brown-black and cucullate.
A shrub or small tree. It grows to 4 m high. The bark is light grey and smooth but becomes brown and rough with age. The leaves are still half rolled at flowering time. Mature leaves are oblong and 5-6 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. Both surfaces are green and velvety. The edges are toothed irregularly. The flowers are white and 3.5 cm across. They have a faint sweet scent. The fruit are deeply 2-4 lobed. Each lobe is about 7 mm across. They become reddish when mature.
Inflorescences 1-, rarely 2-flowered, extra-axillary; peduncles very short or obsolete; pedicels up to 18 mm. long, densely pubescent; bracts similar to the young stipules.
Petals white, c. 0·7 cm. long, broadly lanceolate to almost circular, with a narrower basal claw 1 mm. tall, circumvillous within and ledged above.
Fruit c. 15 mm. in diam., very deeply 4-lobed, with scattered setulose hairs often borne in pairs on a tuberculate base.
Sepals up to 17 mm. long, linear-oblong, greenish and densely pubescent outside, white and glabrous inside.
Ovary 4-lobed, villous; style c. 8 mm. long, pubescent except in the upper third; stigma-lobes broad.
Androgynophore glabrous below for 1 mm., shortly tomentellous above for c. 1 mm.
Bush or small tree up to 4 m. tall, with rather pale pubescent branches.