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A shrub or small branched tree. It grows 20 m tall. The bark is dark brown. The leaves are simple and can have 3-5 lobes or leaflets. The leaves are alternate. The leaf stalk is 2-12 cm long. The leaf blade can be 20 cm long by 8 cm wide. They are wedge shaped at the base and taper to the tip. The flowers are near the ends of branches. The fruit are brown oval capsules 4.5 cm long. They split open to release the seeds.
Leaves 3–5-foliolate; median leaflets 8–15 x 3–6.5 cm., laterals somewhat smaller, rather membranous, narrowly elliptic to elliptic, acuminate and mucronate at the apex, cuneate at the base, nerves somewhat raised below; petioles up to 10 cm. long; petiolules channelled above, 4–8 mm. long.
Sepals 1.2–2.5 x 0.6–1.2 cm., ovate, acuminate at the apex, with 7–9 longitudinal nerves, glabrous except for a minute, crisped pubescence along the margin and near the tip within; receptacle 2–3 mm. long, cupular.
Inflorescences racemose, terminal or axillary, 3–10-flowered, rather lax; pedicels 2–5 cm. long with a minute, subulate, caducous, basal bract up to 2 mm. long and two lateral, smaller, subulate bracteoles.
Stamens many, on a short androgynophore as long as the receptacle; filaments up to 4 cm. long, slender; anthers c. 2 mm. long, linear-oblong with the anther-thecae slightly divergent at the base.
Fruit 2.5–4.5 x 1.5–2.5 cm., brown, ellipsoid or ovoid, with 4 coriaceous, verrucose valves, on a gynophore stouter but not much longer than in the flowering stage.
Small glabrous tree 4–5 m. tall in our area but reaching 10 m. tall farther north; young branches brown, striate, rather densely lenticellate, somewhat drooping.
Ovary c. 3 x 1.5 mm., on a gynophore c. 3 cm. long, narrowly ellipsoid or narrowly ovoid; stigma sessile, capitate, c. 1 mm. wide.
Seeds 8–9 mm. in diam., brown with a smooth testa, embedded in a fleshy pulp, somewhat compressed.
Petals 4, white, up to 3 x 0.2 cm., linear, narrowed to both ends.
Fruit ovoid, up to 21/2 in. long.
Tree, to 35 ft. high, in forest
Petals pale green
Stamens yellow
Calyx green
