Small shrub to tree, to 22.5 m. high; branchlets angled, usually silvery gray, early closely minutely pubescent, quickly becoming glabrous. Leaves alternate; petioles glabrous, stout, canaliculate, blackish, presenting a striking contrast to the pale branchlets, up to 2 cm. long; blades glabrous throughout, or with a few dark hairs persisting at the base on the lower surface, chartaceous, usually pale green to light brown in the dried state, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, to 30 cm. long ,and 10 cm. broad, the base-obtuse or abruptly cuneate, rarely rounded and abruptly cuneate, the apex variable, obtuse or acutish, or even acuminate to caudate-acuminate, penninerved, the costa robust, slightly impressed above and prominently elevated beneath, the lateral nerves to 9 or 10 pairs, delicately and imperceptibly elevated above and more prominently beneath, diverging at an angle of about 450, the upper surface very smooth, the lower minutely and densely reticulate. Inflorescences numerous, subterminal, panicles 5-10 (-15) cm. long, pubescent, much-branched, many-flowered, the peduncles not more than 4.5 cm. long, usually less. Flowers variable, (3-) 4-6 mm. long, perianth-lobes elliptic, oblong, or ovate-elliptic, fleshy, papillose, 3-5 mm. long; stamens of ser. I & II 1.7-2.8 mm. long, the anthers ovate, acutish or obtuse, petaloid with con-spicuous connective tissue one-third their length, the filaments short, stout; those of ser. III 1.7-3.2 mm. long, thee filaments longer, the glands small, subsessile; staminodia, if present, variable, subsessile, triangular or cordate, pubescent to glabrous, to 0.6 mm. long; gynaecium glabrous, 2.15-2.4 mm. long, the ovary probably ovoid, the style' stout, the stigma usually conspicuous, capitate or de-current. Fruit black, ellipsoid, 2.3 X 1.2 cm., the subtending cupule cyathiform, woody, glabrous, 1 cm. long, 14 mm. in diameter and 6 mm. deep, the double margin slightly undulate and obscurely lobed, the pedicel rather thick, striate, pubescent to glabrous, to 6 mm. long.
Home