Shrub or rarely a small tree 1–6(–7.5) m. tall, with glabrous stems.. Leaf-blades elliptic, oblong-elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, 5–19(–23.5) cm. long, 3–10.5(–14.2) cm. wide, acute or obscurely ± obtusely acuminate or rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, completely glabrous, mostly drying grey-green or reddish brown (“russet”), ± shining in life and said to be green above and yellow beneath, rather thin to distinctly coriaceous, with a distinct thin almost hyaline ± revolute margin, the lamina often covered with minute scattered nodule-like black dots beneath but these may be very obscure or absent; domatia inconspicuous or absent; petiole 1–6 cm. long, glabrous; stipules ± ovate or oblong, 1–2 cm. long, bilobed at the apex, the lobes 2–8 mm. long, glabrous, deciduous.. Flowers sweetly scented, heterostylous, 5-merous, in much-branched often somewhat pyramidal panicles 7–18 cm. long or rarely 3 inflorescences from a node with ± undeveloped leaves resembling bracts; peduncles 4–12 cm. long, glabrous, usually quite noticeably 2-winged and flattened even in life; secondary branches (0.3–)0.6–3.3(–6.5) cm. long; pedicels 2–3.5 mm. long; bracts and bracteoles minute.. Calyx glabrous; tube obconic, 0.8 mm. long; limb cupuliform, 0.3–0.7 mm. long, subtruncate, or lobes very small, rounded, 0.25 mm. long.. Corolla white, cream, pinkish white, greenish yellow, brownish or pale green, glabrous; tube funnel-shaped, 2–3 mm. long; lobes ± ovate, 2–2.5 mm. long, 0.8–1.5 mm. wide.. Stamen-filaments ± 1 mm. long in short-styled flowers but almost obsolete in long-styled flowers.. Style 1.3–2 mm. long in short-styled flowers, 3–3.5 mm. long in long-styled flowers.. Drupes red, yellow or scarlet, with 2 pyrenes, sub-globose, 4–5 mm. tall, 5–6 mm. wide, glabrous, densely speckled with rhaphides, very distinctly slightly ribbed in dry state; pyrenes grey, rhaphide-packed, semiglobose, 4.5 mm. long, 4 mm. wide, 2–3 mm. thick, dorsally slightly 6-ribbed (including margins), ventrally flat.. Seeds dark red, semi-globose, 4 mm. long and wide, 2.2 mm. thick; ventral surface rugulose, dorsal surface obscurely ribbed or smooth; albumen slightly to deeply ruminate on ventral face but scarcely so on dorsal face, ventrally with a ± Y-shaped groove.
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