Narrow fastigiate, mostly dioecious tree to 10 m high, not spinescent; bark smooth; older stems corrugated; new stems felty with short base, T-shaped hairs with long, curling arms, clear or white-grey. Sometimes initially epiphytic. Cotyledons consistently 3. Adult leaves very variable depending on sun or shade situations and altitude, mainly alternate but more whorled towards ends of branches; lamina narrowly elliptic, 38–75 mm long, 6–13 mm wide, discolorous, coriaceous, base cuneate, apex acute, sometimes mucronate; abaxial surface densely hairy, persisting; petiole 3–5 mm long. Inflorescences axillary and terminal, solitary or paired (female plants) to 4 (male plants); involucre of double rows of sparsely hairy, imbricate bracts present at base of peduncles; peduncles angular, felty-hairy with slightly rusty hairs, continuing to elongate while fruiting, commonly 8–18 mm long in fruit. Sepals variable, ovate, 3–4 mm long, or petaloid, 6–8 mm long, recurved, green, streaked maroon, sparsely hairy. Petals briefly cohering, 8–12 mm long, recurved, bicoloured, the colours variable but generally with a yellow inner and a yellow and maroon streaked outer, possibly darkening with age. Male flowers: anthers exserted, oblong, 2–3 mm long, rounded to truncate apex, yellow; filaments uniform, thick, tapering to base. Pistil underdeveloped, prominent basal nectary present; ovary slightly stipitate, narrow, to 4 mm long, incompletely bilocular with septa barely reaching to the middle of the chamber, ovules few; style elongating to about the length of ovary, stigma barely differentiated. Female flowers: staminodes not exserted, anthers less than 1 mm long, brown, no pollen, not usually extending past the level of the ovary. Pistil with prominent basal nectary, plump ovary to 4 mm long, not stipitate but densely white-hairy particularly towards base, incompletely bilocular but placenta bearing septa almost meeting, packed with ovules in two rows in each loculus; stigma fat, capitate or lobed on a short, hairless style. Fruit a dehiscent capsule, ovoid, 8–13 mm long, 10–13 mm diam., eventually black, woody, persisting. Seeds angular, red, sticky.
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