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Leaves not dimorphic, blades 5–20(25) × 0.9–8.5(11) cm, narrowly to broadly elliptic, ovate (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area) to obovate, obtuse, acute or acuminate at the apex, cuneate or rarely rounded (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area) at the base, margins strongly recurved, coriaceous, dull;midrib cream-coloured, flat on the upper surface at the apex becoming impressed towards the base, beneath prominent; lateral nerves in 3–7 main pairs; tertiary nerves obscure or scarcely visible; domatia pit-like (sometimes quite large) or sometimes pocket-like, ciliate, sparsely pubescent or pubescent, sometimes absent; petiole (3)5–15 mm long; stipule limbs 1–3(4) mm long, drying buff coloured, with rather keeled awns 1–6 mm long.
Calyx tube glabrous, hidden by upper cupule; limb-tube 1.3–3 mm long, cup-shaped, lightly (or markedly fide Robbrecht) veined, truncate, obscurely dentate or with very shallow lobes, glabrous, sometimes puberulous towards the top, or rarely sparsely pubescent outside (not in the Flora Zambesiaca area), varying from glabrescent to densely covered with silky hairs within.
A tree. It grows 9 m tall. It has a large trunk. The leaves are 5-20 cm long by 1-9 cm wide. They are oval. The edges curve back. They are leathery. The flowers are in the axils of leaves or from where leaves have fallen. The flowers have a sweet scent. The fruit are 6-10 mm across and red. There are 2-5 seeds in each chamber.
Inflorescences borne in axils of leaves or at nodes from which leaves have fallen, sessile, (1–3)5-flowered; bract and bracteoles cupular scarcely lobed, or infrequently bearing subfoliaceous lobes at some inflorescences, hairs on inside of cupules sparse or dense, over-topping the margin to appear fringed or ciliate.
Corolla white or pink, glabrous outside or with the lobe tips pubescent (rarely with sparse hairs descending to the tube); tube 4–7(9) mm long, throat and upper part of the tube densely hairy within; lobes (4)5–9(11) × 2–3 mm.
Shrub or small tree to 8 m high, sometimes scandent with mostly entirely glabrous vegetative parts (some sparse hairs may be observed on young twigs, petioles and stipules); bark buff or grey, often striated.
Seeds 2–5(7) in each chamber, semi-ellipsoid or angular with a minutely reticulate testa and linear often slightly curved hilum.
Filaments 1.5–3 mm long; anthers 4–7(8) mm long, with a short apical appendage bearing a tuft of hairs.
Fruit red, 6–10 mm in diameter, spherical, crowned by the calyx limb-tube which overarches the disk.
Pollen presenter arms held above throat; placenta with 4–7 ovules arranged in a U-shape.
Flowers (6)7–8(9)-merous, sessile, very sweet-scented, very variable in size.
Style hairy except at the base.
Flowers white, fragrant
A shrub, 6-12 ft. high
