A small spreading tree or tall tree up to 40 m. with a long straight clear bole up to 12 m., and a flat crown.. Trunk and branches with spiny outgrowths.. Bark smooth and white at first, later rough and grey.. Wood soft, white or pink.. Twigs glabrous.. Petioles 12–40 cm. long, pulvinate at the base and apex, sparingly puberulous at first, soon glabrescent; leaf-blades usually trilobate, and usually with narrow sinuses between the lobes, rarely either subquinquelobate or conversely even almost elobate, (20–)25–50 cm. long and wide, the median lobe up to 30 cm. wide at the sinuses, emarginate with a median arista, the laterals somewhat smaller and forwardly directed, the lobes triangular-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute or subacute, repand-dentate, the blades moderately to deeply cordate, slightly glandular-auriculate at the base of the sinus, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, 9-nerved from the base, lateral nerves 8–10 pairs in the median lobe, slightly prominent above, prominent beneath, craspedodromous, tertiary nerves subparallel, circular and concentric towards the base, quaternary and quinary networks ± visible above, clearly seen beneath, eglandular above, evenly minutely gland-dotted beneath, densely fulvous tomentose when young, then subglabrous and soon glabrescent above, and minutely puberulous along the nerves beneath, dark green above, paler beneath.. Stipules foliaceous, triangular-ovate and slightly saccate, 3–5 cm. long, 2–3 cm. wide, acute, subentire, membranaceous, pubescent near the apex, otherwise glabrous, leaving down-curved scars.. Panicles fasciculate or solitary in the axils of fallen leaves.. Male panicles 6–22 cm. long; axis evenly to sparingly puberulous; bracts broadly ovate to suborbicular, concave, 2–4 mm. long, 3–4 mm. wide, the lower ± erose, the upper subacute to acute, subentire, rarely trilobate, densely papillose-puberulous without and within, 10–20-flowered.. Male flowers subsessile, strongly and sweetly scented; calyx-lobes 3(–4), elliptic ovate, 1 mm. long, puberulous without towards the apex, otherwise glabrous, greenish yellow; stamens (2–)4(–5), filaments ± free, 1 mm. long, anthers (3–)4-thecous, 0.5 mm. across.. Female panicles (5–)15–20 cm. long, little-branched; axis subglabrous; bracts broadly triangular-ovate, 1 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. wide, acuminate, densely papillose-puberulous without, sparingly adpressed-pubescent within, 1-flowered.. Female flowers very shortly pedicellate to subsessile; calyx subtruncate to shallowly quadrilobate, the lobes rotundate, becoming flattened as the fruit matures, ± 2.5 mm. across, evenly puberulous without, ± glabrous within; ovary 2(–3)-lobed, 2 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, tomentellous; styles 2(–3), slightly connate at the base, free portions spreading, cylindric, 4 mm. long, minutely papillose adaxially.. Fruit bilobate, up to 1.7 cm. wide, or with only 1 chamber developing a mature seed and then somewhat excentric, dehiscent, 8–9 mm. long, 9–10 mm. wide, irregularly and shallowly verruculose-rugulose, sparingly puberulous at first, later glabrescent.. Seeds ellipsoid, 7–8 mm. long, 4.5 mm. wide, smooth, with a chestnut-brown exotesta, and a dark grey-brown endotesta.
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Leaf blades up to 40 × 30 cm, usually 3-lobed, rarely 5-lobed, sometimes not lobed, deeply cordate and auriculate at the base, repand-dentate on the margins, thinly coriaceous, sparingly puberulous to subglabrous on both surfaces, evenly gland-dotted beneath; lobes forwardly directed, triangular, often emarginate with the mid vein shortly produced; 7–9-nerved from the base, lateral nerves in 5–8 pairs in the median lobe, craspedodromous, tertiary nerves subparallel.
Female flowers shortly pedicellate to subsessile; calyx c. 2.5 mm across, subtruncate to shallowly 4-lobed; ovary 2 × 2.5 mm, 2–3-lobed, tomentellous; styles 2–3, 4 mm long, slightly connate at the base, cylindric, spreading, papillose.
Male flowers subsessile, strongly sweetly scented; calyx lobes 3–4, 1 mm long, elliptic-ovate, greenish-yellow; stamens (2)4(5), filaments 1 mm long, ± free, anthers 0.5 mm across.
Male inflorescences 8–23 cm long, paniculate; bracts 2–4 × 3–4 mm, broadly ovate-suborbicular, subacute or acute, subentire, erose, densely puberulous, many-flowered.
Fruit 8–9 × 9–10(17) mm, 2-lobed or 1-chambered, shallowly verruculose-rugulose, puberulous, later glabrescent.
Seeds 7–8 × 4.5 mm, ellipsoid, smooth, endotesta dark grey-brown, exotesta chestnut-brown.
Female inflorescences 10 cm long, paniculate, little branched; bracts 1-flowered.
Young growth fulvous-to ferruginous-pubescent at first, later glabrescent.
Stipules 2–3 × 1–2 cm, ovate, foliaceous, subacute or obtuse, deciduous.
Bark grey-green, smooth, flaking in minute papery scales.
Stem with straight spines up to 6 cm long.
Fruits with a yellow granular covering.
Petioles up to 22 cm long, bipulvinate.
A rapidly growing tree up to 18 m high.
A straggling tree or shrub
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