Habit somewhat like that of a little tree (Welwitsch); stem woody, terete in the lower part, flattened and grooved when young; flowering branchlets subterete, up to 3 in. long. Leaves ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic, acute or subacute, sometimes with a very sharp point, mostly rounded and slightly unequal-sided at the base, 3–8 lin. long, 1 1/2–3 lin. broad, rather rigidly membranous, slightly scabrous on both surfaces; lateral nerves 6–7 on each side, distinct; petiole 1/4 lin. long; stipules subulate from a slightly broadened base, nearly 1 lin. long, glabrous. Flowers monœcious, males small, geminate in the axils of the lower leaves of each branchlet, females larger and solitary in the upper leaves. Male flowers: Sepals 5, 1-seriate, obovate-spathulate, rounded at the apex, 1 lin. long, 3/4 lin. broad, membranous, midrib very faint and slender. Disk-glands 5, thin, rounded, smooth. Stamens 3; filaments connate to the top; anther-cells distinct, dehiscing longitudinally. Female flowers: Sepals 5, much larger than those of the male, broadly elliptic, 2 lin. long, 1 1/2 lin. broad, with a very faint median nerve and several branching side nerves. Disk very large and supporting the stipitate ovary, about 1 1/2 lin. high, vertically sulcate or wrinkled. Ovary stipitate on the top of the disk, rather deeply lobed, glabrous; styles free almost to the base, bilobed, lobes slightly recurved and obtuse. Capsule depressed-globose, about 2 lin. in diam., enclosed by the persistent sepals. Seeds with about 15 longitudinal lines on the back, 1 1/4 lin. long, 3/4 lin, broad.