Shrubs or trees, to 25 m. Stems not armed, glabrate. Leaves deciduous; petiole 6-14 mm, glabrous or glabrate; blade (lustrous dark green adaxially), elliptic, 24-111 × 12-40 mm, base attenuate, margins plane, apex acute to acuminate, abaxial surface glabrous or glabrate with hairs scattered along midrib (hairs reddish brown), venation visible, adaxial surface glabrous, midrib slightly raised, marginal vein present. Inflorescences 5-14-flowered. Pedicels 1-5 mm, sericeous (hairs reddish brown). Flowers: calyx 1.5-2.5 mm diam.; sepals 5, 1.5-1.6 × 1.3-1.8 mm, sericeous (hairs white to tawny); petals 5, white to cream, median segment ovate to suborbiculate, 1.6-1.8 mm, lateral segments lanceolate, 1.3-1.6 mm; stamens 5, 2.8-3.5 mm; staminodes lanceolate, 1.8-2.2 mm, erose; anthers lanceolate-sagittate, 0.8-1.3 mm; pistil 5-carpellate; ovary 5-locular, 1-1.2 mm, glabrous; style 0.9-1.5 mm. Berries purplish black, broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, 6-10 mm, glabrous. Seeds 4-6 mm.
Open areas on moist or wet savannahs or hillsides, chiefly on limestone, at elevations below 300 metres.