Tree 18-40 m, dbh 40-50 cm. Twigs (when fertile several pseudowhorled from near the apex of orthotropic main stem) 4-5(-6) mm diameter, blackish, early glabrescent, hairs pale, less than 0.1 mm, smooth or striate, cataphylls (bud scales) leaving half-circular scars; older twigs faintly cracking, with scattered coarse lenticels. Leaves coriaceous, ± crowded; blades (elliptic-oblong or) oblong-lanceolate, 11-30 by 3-6 cm, base cuneate or narrowly rounded, apex acute(-acuminate) or ± blunt; upper surface olivaceous-brown, lower surface grey-brown, with subpersistent grey-brown dense interwoven hairs 0.1 mm or less; midrib slightly raised above, lateral nerves 15-22 per side, at 45-60° to the midrib, flat or sunken above, purplish brown, contrasting in colour below, lines of interarching and venation indistinct; petiole 20-35 by 2.5-3.5(-5) mm; leaf bud 15-20 by 3-4 mm, hairs appressed, 0.1 (-0.2) mm. Inflorescences ± crowded, between or below the leaves, peduncle absent as in Knema, brachyblast scar-covered, simple or usually forked, to 10 mm, short-pubescent, glabrescent; bracts small, caducous; in male with 2-10 flowers, buds of various sizes; flowers with dense, dark rust-coloured hairs, 0.1-0.3 mm. Male flowers: pedicel 1.5-3 by 1-1.5 mm, bracteole small, 2 mm, persistent or caducous; buds firm but thin, ovoid-ellipsoid, 4-5 by 3-3.5 mm, apex rounded, cleft c. 1/2, lobes 2 mm long, at anthesis suberect. Androecium 4 mm; androphore ± tapering, 1-1.5 by 1 mm, in the lower half or almost completely with dense pale brown hairs 0.1 mm or less; synandrium 2-2.5 by 1-1.5 mm, thecae 20, sterile apex ± blunt or broad conical, 0.2-0.3 mm. Female inflorescences and flowers not seen. Infructescences small. Fruits (measurements of material in spirit) single (or 2) per infructescence, sub-globose or ovoid(-ellipsoid-)oblong, 6-7 by 4-5 cm, hairs dense, short, dark brown, 0.1-0.2 mm (hence ovary pubescent); pericarp 10-12 mm thick; seeds ellipsoid, 3.5 cm; fruiting pedicel 5-10 by 8 mm.
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