Tree to 9 m high, with a short stout trunk and dense rounded crown of ascending branches; terminal branchlets sharply (3–)4(–5)-angled, regularly constricted into segments 5–15 cm long, 4–6 cm wide; angles straight to shallowly sinuately toothed, with teeth 1 cm apart. Spine-shields very obtusely triangular, to 10 x 7 mm including the flowering eye above; spine-pairs stout, to 5 mm long, often vestigial or apparently absent; prickles obsolete or vestigial on young growth; spines and spine-shields quickly becoming corky, to form a broad ridge along the angles. Leaves oblanceolate on seedlings and young growth, to 25 x 8 mm, deltoid on older growth, c. 5 x 5 mm, quickly deciduous. Cymes 1–5 crowded together, 1-forked, on stout peduncles 5 mm long; bracts rounded, c. 4 x 6 mm. Cyathia 12 mm in diam.; glands 4.5 mm broad, golden yellow. Perianth of the female flower obvious, irregularly divided into 3 deeply filiform-toothed lobes to 1 cm long; styles 4 mm long, with thickened shortly bifid apices. Capsule shortly exserted on a stout pedicel 5 mm long, subglobose to very obtusely 3-lobed, c. 15 x 20 mm, fleshy, with thick walls, white becoming bright red, then hardening before dehiscence to become deeply 3-lobed. Seeds subglobose, slightly compressed, 4.5 x 3.7 mm, smooth, grey.