Evergreen straggling shrub or small tree up to 5 m tall, multi-stemmed, stems to 75 mm diameter at the base. Branchlets angular when young, becoming terete with age; young stems greyish purple, red-brown becoming grey, usually covered with conspicuous pale, raised, wart-like lenticels, sometimes with stem galls. Thorns axillary, up to 60(-110) mm long, straight, but occasionally slightly reflexed on old stems, usually covered with prominent lenticels, sometimes bearing leaves, flowers and fruit. Brachyblasts sometimes well-developed, up to 6 mm long. Leaves fasciculate, conspicuously discolourous, mid to dark dull green with a slight bluish tinge above, much paler green and tinged bluish below, bronze-red when young, subsessile; lamina obovate to oblanceolate, (6-)20-70 x 6-30 mm, apex emarginate, base tapering into very short petiole or petiole absent, margin often entire, less frequently with sparse, scattered serrations, revolute, slightly undulate, midrib and reticulate venation prominently raised on both sides when dry. Inflorescence axillary, cymose, usually much longer than leaves; peduncle up to 25 mm long; pedicels10-14 mm long. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous, white, cream to pale green, ± 10 mm in diam. Sepals green, triangular, ± 2 mm long. Petals widely spreading to somewhat recurved, oblong, 2-4(-6) x ± 2.5 mm, apex rounded, margin entire. Disc broad, round, green to pinkish red, margin crenate. Stamens free, slightly shorter than petals. Ovary 3-locular; ovules 6-12 per locule; style ± 1.75 mm long, stigma 3-lobed. Fruit a dry 3-valved capsule, dehiscing loculicidally to base; capsules cream to pink or red, obconic-trigonous, smooth, 15-20(-32) mm long. Seeds oblong, cream, 6-10 mm long, completely enveloped by a well-developed, fleshy orange aril.
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