Tree (18-)25-30(-37) m, glabrous the inflorescences excepted; branchlets rather thick, soon covered with grey bark. Leaves mostly oblong-elliptic rarely subovate-elliptic, gradually narrowed towards the apex, mostly rather abruptly contracted at the apex (1-1.5 cm) and subacute, cuneate or rarely subrotundate at the base, ± equilateral, manifestly coriaceous when fully developed, stiff, olivaceous-grey-green and mostly very shining and smooth above when dry, dull and mostly brownish beneath, entire, the apical ones mostly much smaller than the lower ones, (6-) 10-18 by (3½-)4-6(-7) cm; nerves mostly obscure and veins little visible above, all conspicuously prominent underneath, veins ± transverse, reticulations fine, scattered black points not rarely present; petiole 1-2(-2.7) cm. Stipules not seen, probably very early caducous. Cymes axillary on leafless branchlets (possibly cauline also), few-flowered, finely rusty-pubescent; peduncles stout, up to 1 cm, with many scars. Pedicels c. 1 cm. ♂ Flowers: sepals elliptic-ovate or nearly orbicular, densely ferrugineous-stellate-pubescent outside, glabrous inside, 5-6 by 4 mm, the inner ones slightly larger. Petals membranous, white, suborbiculate, glabrous, somewhat purplish when dry, densely ciliate, 4-5 mm diam.; scales thick, oblong-elliptic, densely whitish-yellowish-villous on both sides, 2-3 mm long. Filaments subulate, ± densely whitish-pilose in their inferior half, (3-)4 mm; anthers oblong-subcordate, c. 2 mm. Female flowers similar to the male, but with 5-7 staminodia and ovoid, ferrugineous-tomentose ovary; stigmas 4, radiate, thick, each 4 mm long. Fruits mostly solitary, rarely in fascicles on old branchlets, globose or mostly globose-obovoid, attenuate at the very base into a short broad stipe, (5-)7-8 cm diam., brown, somewhat rugose and mostly with many fine irregular fissures when dry, glabrous, with very thick (c. 1-1.5 cm) pericarp, exocarp dark-brown, perforated with stout, lighter-coloured fibres, radiating or protruding from the stony mesocarp (but not fibrous-cancellate in a distinct sense). Seeds c. 5-8, irregularly ovoid, (2.5-)3-3.5 cm.
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