Leaves petiolate or subsessile, drying green or brown, occasionally with blue-green tinges; lamina 2–5·2 (6·3) × 2 cm., elliptic to oblanceolate, acute or very acutely acuminate at the apex, with margin densely spinulose-curved-serrulate, rounded or more rarely broadly cuneate at the base, chartaceous, with numerous widely spreading lateral nerves and densely reticulate tertiary venation prominent above (with the laterals more prominent than the reticulation or not) and smooth below; petiole up to 1·5 mm. long or almost absent, grooved above.
Shrub or small tree (1) 2–8 m. high, with bark fissured or rough, greyish-to reddish-brown; branches slender, ribbed, reddish-brown and puberulous or more rarely glabrous at first, becoming terete or somewhat fluted, purplish-brown, with numerous pale ± prominent lenticels.
Flowers 1–3 (5) in a condensed simple raceme with rhachis up to 2 mm. long or subumbellate; pedicels 1·1–2·4 cm. long in fruit, articulated at the base (or the terminal one within 2 mm. of the base), puberulous or glabrous, slender, not becoming reflexed.
Stamens with anthers 1·3–2 mm. long, 3/4–1 1/4 times as long as the filaments, straight, dehiscing by longitudinal slits.
Sepals 5–7 mm. long in flower, oblong-elliptic, becoming deep pink or red, 9–11 mm. long, flat and spreading in fruit.
Drupelets 6–7 × 4 mm. (? immature), ovoid-cylindric, inserted at the base; embryo straight.
Carpels 5, with styles completely united; stigma 5-lobed or subglobose.
Petals yellow, 7–8 (10) × 3–4·5 mm., narrowly obovate.