Shrub or small tree up to 15 m. Young parts thinly stellate-pubescent. Leaves coriaceous, somewhat shining, glabrous above, often bearded in the nerve-axils on the underside, ovate to lanceolate, 10-24 by 4-8 cm, apex mostly gradually long-acuminate, base rounded or somewhat acute, margins superficially remotely dentate to rather densely serrate-dentate, sometimes almost entire; primary nerves 5-7 on each side, indistinctly anastomosing; petiole 2½-4 cm. Inflorescence umbellate, corymbiform, up to 10 cm across; axes thinly stellate-pubescent; peduncle short, up to 2½ cm; primary rays 5-7. Bracts and bracteoles small, ovate. Flowers somewhat scented. Calyx-limb obscurely toothed, 1½-2 mm diam., teeth triangular, acute. Corolla tubular, ellipsoid-obovoid in bud, creamy white to white, sometimes pink without, usually dotted with brown; tube 3-4 mm, lobes erect, rounded triangular, 1 mm. Stamens exserted; filaments with inflexed top in bud, white, adnate to the corolla-tube ½-1 mm above the base, about 4 mm long; anthers oblong, purplish, 1-1½ mm. Ovary cylin-dric, glabrous or lepidote, 1½-2 mm long. Drupe ovoid to broad-ellipsoid or nearly spheric, slightly compressed, bluish black, 6-6½ by 5-6 mm; endocarp undulate in cross-section, dorsally 2-grooved, ventrally 3-grooved, lateral grooves often obsolete.
In open primary and secondary forests, especially in forest borders, sometimes in brushwood or in grassy plains, from 1000 (especially 1500) m upward, often common and one of the pioneers in natural reafforestation. Fl. fr. Jan.-Dec.
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