Tree to 22 m or rarely a scandent shrub, young branches glabrous or pubescent. Leaves opposite (rarely subopposite or whorled); broadly ovate to elliptic oblong, 9-35 by 5-24 cm, coriaceous or char-taceous, base cuneate rounded or subcordate, apex shortly to long acuminate, margin entire or minutely to coarsely dentate, glabrous or sparingly to rather densely pubescent beneath, midrib and principal lat-eral veins prominent beneath, lateral veins arched-ascending and meeting within the margin; petiole 5-25 mm, channelled above, glabrous or pubescent. Monoecious. Inflorescences axillary, supra-axillary, terminal, or cauliflorous, pubescent, cymes solitary or several arising at the same node, varying from simple 3-flowered cymes to complex pleiochasia with lateral branches branching to the third or fourth de-gree, male flowers on the lower branches; rachis and lateral branches of female part of the inflorescence stout and thickening and becoming woody after an-thesis, those of the male parts finer and caducous, up to 20 cm long but often much shorter, pedicels 15-30 mm, gradually widening below the flowers, of the male more delicate than those of the female. Male flowers globose, 1.5-2 mm Ø, only slightly wider than the pedicel, pubescent; tepals 6-8, apex rounded, usually with 4 outer stamens and up to 4 smaller inner stamens, filaments strap-shaped. Female flowers globose, c. 3-5 mm Ø; tepals c. 6, with swol-len pendulous glands within the ostiole; carpels usually c. 20, stigma short obtuse. Infructescence enlarged, woody, receptacle c. 20 mm Ø. Drupes ovoid, 15 mm long, shortly stipitate or sessile.
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A tree. It can grow up to 22 m tall. The trunk is 15 cm across. The bark is smooth and pale grey. The leaves are opposite and broadly oval. They are 7-17 cm long by 4-10 cm wide. The base is wedge shaped. The floweres are in groups in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The male flowers are at the end and the female flowers near the base. The male flowers are rounded and 2 mm across and female flowers are larger. The fruit is oval and fleshy. It is 2 cm long by 1.5 cm wide. It turns deep blue or black as it ripens. It is on a short, swollen, orange stalk. The fruit are in clusters of 3-13.
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