Shrub or small tree, up to 10 m. Branchlets light-brown to dark-brown, sparsely pubescent, glabrescent. Branches smooth, reddish-brown, glabrous. Leaves membranous to papery, glabrous, in the dry state the upper surface subolivaceous or light-brown, rather shining, lower surface dirty-white or light-green, rather dull, sometimes light-brown on both surfaces, ovate-oblong, elliptic-oblong, broadly-elliptic, or lanceolate, rarely ovate, 6-12 by 1.5-4.5 cm; base cuneate, acute or obtuse; apex acuminate, the acumen up to c. 1 cm; nerves 7-12 pairs, rather irregular, slightly elevated, rarely indistinct on both surfaces, obliquely ascending close towards the margin and then curved upward; veins loosely anastomosing, reticulations usually obscure on both surfaces; petiole c. 4 mm. Inflorescences usually axillary and occurring in several leaf axils along the branches or branchlets, sometimes also terminal or on the top of a reduced or very short branchlet with bract-like reduced leaves, 1-5-flowered; peduncle very short to 1.5 cm, appressed-pu-berulous. Flowers 10-13 mm long, yellowish, or cream (fide CLEMENS 20980), subsessile. Floral tube scattered-puberulous outside, glabrescent. Calyx lobes ovate-oblong, 2-3 mm long. Stamens with c. 0.5 mm space between the two whorls, those of the upper series sessile or sometimes some of them shortly filamentous, those of the lower series always shortly filamentous; anthers linear, 1-1½ mm long, acute or slightly apiculate. Ovary oblong or slightly obovoid-oblong, c. 2 mm long, glabrous or a few hairs at the top; style very short or sessile; stigma capitate, papillose. Fruits yellow, green or orange, ovoid, c. 8 by 5 mm.
Uses. According to BOORSMA ( BOORSMA Bull. Dep. Agric. I.N. n. 1 1907 19 ) it provides a scented wood which is used only occasionally. The wood is harder than that of Aquilaria and scentless, but when burned it gives forth a fragrance similar to that of Aloe-wood. In Banka the bark is used for making ropes.
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