Large dark flaky-barked tree with hard wood. Twig apices, buds, petiole, leaf nervation beneath, stipules, panicles and perianth outside densely buff puberulent, ± caducous on twigs, leaf beneath, and calyx. Twig c. 3 mm ø apically, blackish, becoming ribbed along the leaf traces; stipule scars obscure. Bud to 3 by 2 mm, ovoid, acute; stipules to 9 mm long, linear, caducous. Leaves (5-)10-24 by (2-)4.5-8 cm, oblong-lanceolate or occasionally oblanceolate, coriaceous, silvery lepidote beneath; base cuneate to occasionally cordate (especially sucker-shoots and young trees), subequal; apex shortly broadly acuminate or obtuse; nerves (12-) 14-16 pairs, ascending, rather straight, slender but prominent beneath, obscure above; tertiary nerves densely scalariform, evident beneath; midrib prominent beneath, evident but shallowly channelled above; petiole (5-)7-11 mm, c. 3 mm ø, stout. Panicle to 11 cm long, terminal or subterminal axillary, becoming lax; twice-branched, with to 2 cm long branchlets bearing to 10 ± secund cream flowers. Flower bud to 3 by 2 mm, lanceolate. Outer 2 sepals lanceolate, subacute; inner 3 shorter, ovate, subacuminate. Stamens 15; filaments broadly compressed at base, tapering and filiform distally; appendages slender, c. 1½ x length of the narrowly ellipsoid anthers. Ovary and stylopodium cylindrical, subtruncate, equal in height but the ovary the broader; style shorter than either, columnar. Fruit pedicel to 2 mm long, slender. 2 longer fruit calyx lobes to 6.5 by 1.8 cm, spatulate, obtuse, c. 4 mm wide above the c. 5 by 3 mm small elliptic saccate base; 3 shorter lobes to 5 by 3 mm, ovate (occasionally to 18 mm long and distally lorate). Nut to 10 by 7 mm, ovoid-apiculate.
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