Growth apparently gradually; internodes of similar length. Young parts velvety with persistent brownish hairs to sparsely puberulous. Twigs initially dark purplish tinged, later greyish, lengthwise striate, terete, comparatively thick with wide pith, often slightly zig-zag, stipular scars indistinct. Leaves mostly distichous. Stipules not always ad-pressed, 1½-5(-6) mm, subulate and not visibly striate, often late caducous. Petiole ¾-2 cm. Blade before unfolding curved inward like a bow, of papery texture, 10 ½-25 by 4-8½ cm, widest at the middle to well above, index (2.2-)2.6-3.9 (-4.2); base more or less tapering and slightly decurrent, top acuminate; midrib and particularly the veins thin, flat above, no domatia, about 7-10(-12) major veins on either side converging within the margin, secondary veins and reticulation lax and rather irregular, dark-tinged; margins from base to top more or less distinctly dentate-serrate; surfaces dull and mostly con-colorous in variants of brown and green, glabrous to sparsely hairy on the midrib and veins mainly beneath. Inflorescences mostly densely hairy, in structure like those of R. bengalensis but hypso-phylls more scale-like, the axes no more than 4 in number, with c. 5-25 flowers each and these but seldom in a clearly distichous arrangement, the pedicel scars mostly obscure; bracts minute, triangular; pedicels 3-10 mm, jointed near the base. Sepals ± equal, fleshy, 1½-3 mm long, bluntly triangular to elliptic, dark-coloured, hairy outside. Petals fleshy, 2½-5½ mm long, widest about the middle, more or less diverging, top sometimes recurved, more or less hairy outside. Androecium often glabrous, consisting of a filamental tube 0.2-0.4 part of the total length, sometimes with a few hairs, filaments up to 0.2 part, rarely hairy, and anthers 0.5-0.8 part, the dorsal appendage broad, triangular, 1-2 times as long as the thecae, ventral appendages tiny to half as long as the dorsal one, sometimes wanting; sometimes a few hairs on the base of the thecae and on the back of the connective between. Ovary hairy, each carpel with 1 ovule; style glabrous. Fruit subtended by the dry spreading or reflexed sepals and petals, before dehiscence (sub)globose, c. 1¼ cm ø, valves leathery, dark purplish brown, sparsely hairy; seeds 3, c. 6-7 by 5 mm, glossy brown, with distinct raphe.
Light forest, secondary forest, teak forest, jungle, forest edges, mostly on limestone, sometimes on other rich soils, below 600 m.
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