Shrub or tree 1-16 m; trunk to ca. 20 cm diam; young branches often sparsely rufous-puberulent. Leaves opposite or subopposite, those of a pair often unequal in size, sometimes verticillate in whorls of 3 or 4; subsessile to petiolate, petiole 4-15 mm; blade membranaceous or subcoriaceous, usually elliptical or oblong, sometimes ovate or oblanceolate, 7-16.5 (-19.5) x 2-6 cm, apex abruptly or gradually acuminate or long-acuminate, base acute to attenuate, often oblique, glabrous, often drying dark brown. Inflorescence a axillary or terminal, erect, few-to many-flowered, lax, corymbose panicle; peduncle and axes very sparsely and thinly spreading-rufous-puberulent; peduncle 3-6.8 cm long; bracteoles at base of flower 3, triangular-lanceolate, to 0.75-1 mm long; flowers subsessile. Male perianth yellow or yellowish-green, glabrous or with ciliate teeth, urceolate, sometimes infundibuliform or tubular-ellipsoid, 2.4-6(-7.5) x 1-3 mm, 5-toothed, teeth to ca. 2 mm long; stamens 5-6, short ones 2-3.5 mm, long ones 4.5-5 mm long, anthers 0.8-1 mm long. Female perianth green, rose or reddish-purple, minutely rufous-puberulent outside, greenish-white inside, suburceolate, campanulate or infundibuliform, 3 x 1.5-2 mm, limb flared, 5-lobed, lobes to 1 mm long; staminodes 6, ca. 1 mm long; style black, exserted ca. 1.5 mm above perianth, stigma fimbriate into ca. 20 divisions. Anthocarp yellowish-green or maroon-purple, narrowly ellipsoid or oblongoid, ca. 10 x 4 mm, apically crowned by persistent 1 mm long perianth.
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