Shrub, scandent or otherwise, small tree or liane to 30 m. high. Young branchlets with brown pubescence; hairs of two kinds, stiff smooth brown hairs, fascicled in clusters of 4, projecting above smaller simple or fascicled hairs; old stems subglabrous and dull purplish in colour. Leaf-rhachis 2–12 cm. long, pilose when young, becoming subglabrous; terminal leaflet ovate-elliptic to obovate, 4–12 (–21) cm. long, 2–5.5 (–9) cm. wide, apex shortly acuminate, base rounded to cuneate; lateral leaflets ovate to broadly elliptic, all rigidly chartaceous; upper surface glabrous or with few hairs along midrib, lower surface subglabrous or with scattered simple or fascicled hairs on midrib and main nerves; lateral nerves 3–5 pairs, arcuate ascending, basal pair very prominent (see Fig. 4/5 & 4/6, p. 10). Inflorescence terminal, to 30 cm. long; rhachis, branchlets, bracts and pedicels with dense brown indumentum as on young stems. Flowers fragrant. Sepals broadly lanceolate, to 4.5 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, fringed with reddish glandular hairs. Petals white, elliptic-oblong, to 6 mm. long and 2 mm. wide. Stamens 10; long-stamened flowers, 5 episepalous stamens to 5.5 mm. long, 5 epipetalous to 3.5 mm. long; short-stamened flowers, 5 episepalous stamens to 3.5 mm. long, 5 epipetalous to 1.5 mm. long (but see note on p. 9 and Fig. 4/7, 4/8 & 4/9, p. 10), filament-tube short, anthers ± apiculate. Ovary ovoid, ± 1 mm. long, pilose; styles of short-stamened flowers to 5.5 mm. long, long-stamened flowers to 1.5 mm. long, puberulous. Fruit a red obliquely obovoid follicle, to 1.5 cm. long, 9 mm. diam., densely pubescent with short stiff fascicled hairs. Seed shining black, ovoid-oblong, 1.2 cm. long, 7 mm. diam.; aril white, to 4 mm. long, lobulate.
