Shrub or small tree to 8 m. high, sometimes straggling; trunk with aculeate bosses, ± 25 cm. in diameter near the base; branches glabrous, with reddish brown conical prickles 2–4 mm. long.. Leaves 15–56 cm. long; rhachis usually unarmed and rusty pubescent; leaflets 4–8 pairs, opposite to subopposite, subsessile except the terminal one with a petiolule 2–22 mm. long, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, (5–)7–17 cm. long, 2.5–6.5 cm. broad, acuminate or acute at the apex, cuneate and somewhat asymmetric at the base, crenulate-denticulate to broadly serrate, glandular pubescent or hispid; glandular dots numerous and conspicuously dark; lateral nerves 18–24 pairs.. Inflorescence a terminal panicle 10–29 (–34) cm. long, pubescent; flowers clustered, on pedicels 1.5–3 mm. long.. Sepals 4, free or slightly united, broadly ovate, 0.4–0.7 mm. long, pubescent below, ciliate.. Petals 4, 1–2.5 mm. long, 0.8–1.4 mm. broad, white.. Male flowers: stamens 4; filaments 2–3(–5) mm. long; anthers 0.6–1 mm. long; gynophore short; vestigial ovary ovoid.. Female flowers with vestigial staminodes reduced to the aborted anthers; gynophore short; ovary of 1 carpel.. Fruit obliquely subglobose, 8–10 mm. in diameter, mucronate, shortly stipitate, conspicuously glandular-bullate.. Seed 5–7 mm. in diameter, shiny black.
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