Shrub or small tree 2–5 (–8) m high; bark grey, ridged, flaky with horizontal fissures; new shoots, leaves and inflorescences densely hairy with short-base T-hairs with long arms; glabrescent. New leaves with densely hairy margins (short-base clear T-hairs). Adult leaves clustering at ends of branchlets in a funnel-shaped arrangement; lamina obovate, 30–50 mm long, 10–15 mm wide, thick, coriaceous, adaxial surface light yellow-green, lower surface paler, apex recurved; petiole 3–5 mm long. Inflorescences either aggregated unbelliform (male?) or simple terminal few flowered umbels (female?), with several layers of protective bracts at the base of peduncles. Peduncles to 14 mm long, drooping below the foliage, densely hairy. Sepals spreading, 5–6 mm long, apex long-acuminate, margin densely hairy, inner surface woolly, fringed. Petals ligulate to spathulate, 11–15 mm long, cohering briefly in the middle, maroon at the base, blending to cream at the tips. Male flowers? with anthers exserted at anthesis; filaments at uneven heights, thick, distinctly flared around the ovary; anthers large, c. 3.5 mm long, oblong with slightly emarginated apices, gold. Pistil with ovary the same length or shorter than style, c. 4 mm long, thin, very hairy, not stipitate with a basal nectary; stigma knobby. Female flowers not seen but Cooper (1956) commented ‘aborted stamens not exserted past capitate, 3-lobed stigma, ovary globose’. Fruit drooping on stout peduncles 15–18 mm long, ridged. Fruit trivalved, globose; mesocarp thickish, 1–1.5 mm; exocarp initially yellow-orange, brown later, transversely ridged, with numerous seeds inserted to apex. Seeds globular, glossy red-brown.