Trichocladus ellipticus Eckl. & Zeyh.

Evergreen shrub or tree, sometimes somewhat scrambling, (2–)5–10(–18) m. tall; bark greyish-white or creamy-brown, smooth or somewhat rough; young branchlets tomentose with fine ochraceous or ferruginous stellate hairs, older ones glabrescent.. Leaves alternate; blades elliptic, obovate-elliptic to oblanceolate, (l.2–)5–28 cm. long, 0.8–12 cm. wide, acute to acuminate, cuneate to rounded or rarely subcordate at the base, entire, mostly rather coriaceous, glabrous above, densely persistently stellate tomentose beneath with fine greyish, silvery, yellowish-brown or pale coppery hairs, frequently with scattered darker rusty spots; petiole 0.5–1.8 cm. long; stipules linear, soon falling.. Inflorescences capitate, axillary or appearing terminal, 0.7–2 cm. in diameter; peduncle 0.5–1.5 cm. long; bracteoles filiform, 2 mm. long.. Flowers sessile, tomentose, sweetly scented (or unpleasantly fide Greenway 8544).. Hermaphrodite flowers: true calyx-tube 1 mm. long, tomentose; limb 2 mm. long, its rounded lobes 1 mm. long, recurved; petals white, greenish-yellow or yellow, 0.9–1.7 cm. long, 1.7–2 mm. wide, revolute, tomentose on outer surface; stamens 5, the filaments obpyramidal, 0.8– 1.2 mm. long, 0.6 mm. wide; anthers 1–1.2 mm. long; connective prolonged into an erect beak; styles 1.3 mm. long.. ♀ flowers stated to be similar but with petals reduced, 4 mm. long, or even lacking (see introductory note after generic description).. Capsule subglobose, 6–7(–8) mm. long, 5 mm. across, the apical valves conspicuous, pubescent, 1–2-seeded.. Seeds yellowish or greyish, mottled black, smooth, ovoid or ellipsoid, flattened, 5 mm. long, 3–4 mm. wide; hilar area brownish, 3–4 mm. long situated across the end of the seed; on one side, within this area, there is also a small elliptic patch, the true hilum, 1.2 mm. long.

Understorey of dry or moist forest, wooded savannah, rain-forest, riverine forest; forest margins on rocky ground; rocky river banks in forests; at elevations from 1,250-2,100 metres, occasionally to 3,000 metres.

Can be grown by seedlings.