Tree 6-20 m; branchlets slender, minutely tawny-tomentose. Leaves oblong or elliptic-oblong, shortly ± abruptly acuminate, cuneate to subrotundate at the base, membranaceous, entire or obscurely crenulate, light-green, upper surface glabrous except the ± pilose midrib, lower surface ± densely covered with spreading, yellowish or olivaceous hairs especially on nerves and midrib, the latter still pubescent in old elsewhere glabrescent leaves, 10-20(-25) by (4½-)5½-8 cm; nerves (6-)8-10 pairs, ± mostly suberect and rather close to each other, prominent beneath, veins ± transverse, reticulate but little prominent; petiole (0.6-)1-1.8 cm, rather densely ferrugineous-pilose. Panicles terminal (mostly the ♂ ones), these usually longer than the leaves, c. 7-15 (rarely up to 40) cm, or axillary (mostly the female ones, these shorter than the leaves), all slender and spiciform. Flowers ± spaced, small, yellowish-rose. Calyx-lobes nearly rounded, pubescent on the back, 1.2 mm long, in the female flowers somewhat smaller. ♂ Flowers: stamens 8 in two rows; staminodes broad, yellowish. ♀ Flowers: stamens shorter than calyx-lobes. Ovary oblong, 2 mm, densely yellowish-tomentose. Capsule oblong, narrowed at the apex and base, manifestly 3-ridged, densely yellow-ish-tomentose when dry, said to be velvety-red and corrugated when fresh, with silvery tinge, (1.2-) 1.5-2 cm long. Seeds ellipsoid, 7-8 mm long.
Uses. Wood reddish, durable, heavier than water, used for making chairs and house-posts.
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