A tree. It grows 40 m high. The trunk can be 80 cm across. It has narrow buttresses. The young shoots have fine hairs at first. The bark becomes greyish-brown and rough and cracked. The leaves are spaced and alternate. They can be arranged in spirals. They are 5.3-19 cm long by 1.9-9.2 cm wide. They are oval or sword shaped. The lower surface is usually silvery. There are 12-25 pairs of secondary veins. The leaf stalk is 1-2.8 cm long. The flowers have only one sex but both are on the same plant. There are 3-20 flowers in a tuft near the axils of leaves. The flowers are yellowish-green. The fruit are 1.6-3.5 cm long and oval. The fruit are purple to black at maturity. The fruit is edible. There is one seed. It is 1.4-2.3 cm long. It has a hard, smooth, shiny coat.
A tropical plant. It grows in wet mountain and cloud forest. It grows between 1,300-2,600 m altitude. It can grow down to sea level.
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