A tree developing a crown when mature, up to 16 m, glabrous when mature, young parts slightly setulose. Leaves in terminal clusters; petiole up to 60 cm, channelled above, c. 6 mm broad, with a sheathing base prolonged as a membranous stipular ligule 2-4 cm long, and with many pronounced, long-setose crests encircling the lower part of the petiole; blade up to 75 cm ø, deeply 7-11-lobed, base cordate or emarginate; lobes lanceolate to narrowly elliptic-oblong, narrowed towards the sinuses and tapered to an attenuate apex, margin sharply and remotely serrate, sinuses broadly rounded. Inflorescence a terminal compound umbel, hemispherical, to 20 cm ø; peduncle short (2-3 cm); primary rays numerous (c. 30-40), 4-5 cm long, glabrous, with obsolete bracts at the apex, each ending in three branches; central branch c. 10 mm long, bearing a subglobose umbel of c. 20, small, sterile, bacciform flowers (1-1½ mm ø) on pedicels c. 3-4 mm long, 2-5-celled; the two lateral branches c. 3-4 cm long, with no clear articulation but 1 or 2 obsolescent bracts, terminating in a head of c. 12-16 subsessile flowers (pedicel c. 1 mm, becoming longer in fruit) surrounded by an inconspicuous involucral rim. Calyx rim obsolete; corolla 5-lobed, 1.5 mm long in bud; stamens 5; ovary subcylindric, angled, 1.5 mm long at anthesis, 5-16-celled, disk with a central boss formed by the united pustulate stigmas. Fruit spherical, fleshy, c. 8 mm ø, ribbed when dry, the stigmatic boss persistent and prominent; pyrenes cartilaginous.
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