Tree, up to 15 m high, dbh up to 30 cm, or shrub. Twigs 1.2—0.8(—1.5) cm in diam., blackish brown to grey, glabrous. Leaves paripinnate, 3—5(—13)-jugate, 20-45 cm (to more than 1 m long), glabrous; petiole angular above, exceptionally flat to rounded, 1.5-7.5(-25) cm long; wings of petiole and rachis 3-8 mm wide; pseudo-stipules oblique-ovate, l-3(-8.5) by 0.8-2.2(-5) cm, base deeply cordate, apex obtuse, sometimes acuminate, pen-ninerved. Leaflets opposite (to alternate), sessile or petiolules up to 2 mm long, lanceolate (exceptionally linear-lanceolate or oblong to obovate-oblong, lower sometimes ovate-lanceolate), 10-20(-45) by 1.8-4(-8) cm, index (3-)4-7(-14), thin-chartaceous, above greyish to blackish brown, beneath brown to greyish green; base mostly hardly oblique, acute and sometimes tapering, in oblique leaflets one half or both halves rounded; apex tapering long acuminate, acute; midrib beneath mostly acutfe, nerves 1—1.5(—2) cm apart, angle to midrib 55-70°, curved, at least those in the upper half of the leaflet looped and joined near the margin. Inflorescence often drooping, in vivo often purple to reddish brown, apparently mostly unisexual, though male and female ones on the same trees; male: usually axillary, narrowly thyrsoid, un-branched, 20-25(-40) cm long, with scattered, sessile fascicles of 3-5 (-7) flowers on 2-7 mm long pedicels; female: either in the lower leaf-axils, or rami-or cauliflorous, at least near the base with some branches about equalling the rachis, up to 45 cm long, with scattered, mostly solitary flowers on 6-13 mm long pedicels. Flowers in vivo dark wine-red to purple. Sepals obovate-orbicular, 2.5-4 by 2-3 mm, outer slightly smaller than inner, inner partly petaloid with crenulate margin, all sparsely glandular-ciliolate. Petals sessile (in L. edulis claw 0.5 mm), sparsely, partly glandular, ciliolate, glabrous or rarely sparsely appressed short-hairy outside in the basal half (L. edulis)', blade suborbicu-lar, up to 4 by 3 mm (L. edulis 2 by 2.5 mm), scale erect, slightly hood-shaped, ⅓-1/5 as long as blade, glabrous (L. edulis densely ciliolate). Disc glabrous, pink. Stamens 8; anthers 1.8 mm, sub-glabrous, yellow with white pollen. Ovary ellipsoid, 3-(or 4-)celled, pale mauve; style very short, stigma dome-shaped to flat, slightly 3-lobed, white. Infructescences with patent, up to 2 cm long, slender pedicels. Fruits shortly stipitate, trigonous-obovoiid, 2.5-4 by 2.2-3 cm, apiculate, apparently dark brownish purple to nearly black when ripe, pulp (rather thick, fleshy, white. Seeds ellipsoid, up to 2.5 by 1.5 cm, hilum rhomboid, 6 by 5 mm.
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A tree. It grows 15 m high. The leaves are 20-45 cm long and have 3-5 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are sword shaped and 10-20 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. The young leaves are purple. The flowering stalks are often drooping. Male and female flowers are separate on the same tree. The flowers are dark red or purple. The fruit are in clusters of about 20 fruit. The fruit are oval and 3 sided. They are 3-4 cm long by 3 cm wide. They are dark brownish purple and turn red. The pulp is fleshy and white. The seeds are narrowly oval and 2.5 cm long by 1.5 cm wide.
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