Trees, evergreen, 8-25 m tall; bark gray-brown; branchlets terete, gray-brown or reddish tomentose; winter buds ovoid-globose, scales brown tomentose outside. Petiole 1-2.5 cm, brown tomentose; leaf blade green abaxially, deep green adaxially, obovate, elliptic-oblong, or oblong-lanceolate, 17-35 × 7-12 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially sparsely hairy or hairy only along veins, adaxially shiny and glabrous, midvein raised on both sides, lateral veins 5-10 pairs, reticulate veins conspicuous, base broadly acute, cuneate, asymmetric, margin entire, apex obtuse, contracting abruptly to a short acumen. Inflorescence axillary; flowers solitary, or 2 or 3 together in cymes 1-2 cm; rachis pubescent. Pedicels 3-5 mm, together with peduncles densely brown tomentose. Staminate flowers deep green; sepals 4 or 5, orbicular, 5-6 mm, outside yellowish tomentose, inside glabrous; petals 4 or 5, suborbicular, outer petals 4-5 mm, inner ones smaller, both sides (excl. scale) glabrous, margin ± fimbriate; scale 3-3.5 mm, apex hairy and fimbriate; stamens many (ca. 25); filaments 4-5 mm, hairy; anthers globose or subcordate, apex ± acute; pistillode absent. Pistillate flowers greenish, ca. 1.5 cm in diam.; sepals 4, oblong, 6-7 mm, outside densely rusty tomentose, inside glabrous, margin ciliate; petals 8, suborbicular, inner ones smaller, outer ones larger, both sides (excl. scale) glabrous, margin ± fimbriate; scales as for staminate flowers; staminodes 8; ovary ovoid-orbicular, slightly 8-angled, densely pubescent, styles nearly absent, stigmas 4 or 5. Berry subglobose, 4-6 cm in diam., reddish or brownish tomentose interspersed with longer stiffer bristles, stigmas persistent, pericarp cross-section with radially striate layer. Seeds numerous. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jan-Dec.
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