Shrub or tree up to 6 m tall with smooth grey bark; branches purplish- or yellow-brown, lenticellate, papillose-puberulous or glabrous but later quite glabrous. Leaves thin, oblanceolate or elliptic or obovate-oblanceolate, 4.5–9 cm long, 1.8–3.3 cm wide, acute or acuminate at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, margin densely spinulose-serrate or curved-serrulate; lateral veins and densely reticulate tertiary venation finely prominent above and below but not very conspicuous; petiole 1.5–2 mm long. Flowers (5–)7–10 in a racemiform inflorescence with rhachis 9–20 mm long; pedicels 1.4–2.6 cm long, jointed about 1–5 mm from the base, papillose-pubescent or glabrous. Sepals drying blackish, ovate or elliptic, 5–7 mm long, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, acute or rounded, red in fruit and enlarging to 7–9 mm long, 3–5 mm wide. Petals pale yellow, obovate, 8–10 mm long, 5–6 mm wide. Anthers 1.5 mm long, about 1/2 as long as filaments, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Carpels 5–8; styles completely united; stigma depressed subglobose. Drupelets ellipsoid, 6–8 mm long, 4–5 mm wide, inserted below the centre.