Tree or shrub 3.6-6 m. high; branchlets angled or striate, terete, early pubes-cent, quickly glabrous. Leaves alternate or subopposite; petioles slender, canalicu-late, glabrous, up to 12 mm. long; blades glabrous throughout, chartaceous, or subcoriaceous, oblong-elliptic, to 16 cm. long and 6.5 cm. broad, the base, generally speaking, roundish or obtuse, with the extreme portion abruptly cuneate, the apex abruptly or gradually acuminate, usually caudate-acuminate, penninerved, the costa conspicuous above, more prominently elevated beneath, the lateral nerves 4-6 pairs, delicate, obscure above, more prominent beneath, the lowermost pairs usually the longest, and diverging at an angle of about 450, the reticulation obscure above, less so beneath. Inflorescences numerous, axillary, slender, panicles 4-5 (-7.5) cm. long, branching racemosely, many-flowered, glabrous, the peduncle rarely more than 2 cm. long. Staminate flowers small, not more than 2 mm. long, the pedicels slender, filamentous, to 4 mm. long, the perianth-lobes ovate, obtusish or acute, glabrous, (1-) 1.25 (-1.7) mm. long; stamens of ser. I & II 0.8 mm. long, the anthers quadrate or ovate-triangular, obtuse, almost sessile; those of ser. III longer, the anthers more narrowly ovate, the filaments with two basal, com-pressed, often suborbicular, subsessile glands; gynaecium glabrous, aborted, linear, not more than 0.8 mm. long. Pistillate flowers similar to the staminate; stamens smaller, seemingly sterile; gynaecium glabrous, 1.5 mm. long, the ovary ellipsoid-subglobose, attenuate into an extremely short style, the stigma conspicuous, three-parted. Fruit black, ellipsoid, apiculate, to 14 X 9 mm., the lower third encased in a more or less snug-fitting hemispherical, somewhat woody cupule 6 mm. long, 11 mm. in diameter, and 3-4 mm. deep, the pedicel to 7 mm. long, expanded to 2 mm. in diameter at the apex.
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