Trees 10-30 m tall. Young branches brown; current year branchlets rust colored, glabrous. Petiole (0.5-)1-1.5 cm; leaf blade oblong to narrowly oblong, 8-14 × 2.5-5 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green becoming brown when dry, adaxially yellowish green and shiny, both surfaces glabrous, midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 8-12 on each side of midvein, secondary and reticulate veins visible on both surfaces, base cuneate, broadly cuneate, or obtuse, margin undulate serrate, apex acuminate to long acuminate. Flowers axillary, solitary, 4-5 cm in diam. Pedicel 2-3(-5) mm, sparsely pubescent; bracteoles 2, caducous, ovate to suborbicular, 4-5 mm, outside densely yellow sericeous, inside glabrous. Sepals 5, suborbicular, ca. 1 cm, outside densely yellow sericeous, inside glabrous. Petals 5, white, obovate, ca. 2.5 × 2 cm, outside yellow sericeous, basally slightly connate, apex emarginate. Stamens ca. 1.5 cm; outer filament whorl basally slightly connate and adnate to petals. Ovary globose, ca. 3 mm in diam., densely tomentose; style ca. 1.3 cm, basally tomentose, apically 3-5-parted for 4.3-6.5 mm. Capsule globose, 2-4 cm in diam., 3-5-loculed with 2-5 seeds per locule, dehiscent from base, apex convex; pericarp 2-5 mm thick when dry, woody, densely yellow sericeous. Seeds brown, ellipsoid, laterally compressed, ca. 2 × 1 cm, shiny. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Oct-Nov. 2n = 30*.