A tree 20–50 ft. high or sometimes more, often with the trunk quite bare of branches up to nearly half its height; head loosely pyramidal; branches and branchlets spreading; young branchlets terete, ashy-grey when dry, glabrous. Leaves elliptic or slightly obovate-elliptic, very shortly cuneate at the base, obtusely acuminate, 2–6 1/2 in. long, 1–3 in. broad, entire, rigidly coriaceous, glabrous on both surfaces, shining and darker above, pale beneath; midrib prominent on both surfaces, tapering towards the apex; lateral nerves about 7 on each side of the midrib, nearly equally prominent on both surfaces, very arcuate, looped; veins lax, distinct; petiole 4–5 lin. long, glabrous; stipules caducous, lanceolate, obtuse, about 4 lin. long, coriaceous, glabrous. Receptacles axillary, solitary, pedunculate; bract at the base of the peduncle cupular, enclosing the head of flowers when young, at length bursting on one side, coriaceous, about 1/4 in. long, glabrous; peduncle 1/4 in. long, fairly stout, glabrous. Involucre cupular, fleshy at the base, membranous towards the margin, variously cleft, glabrous. Bracts between the stamens oblong-oblanceolate, laciniately cleft at the apex, membranous, exceeding the anthers, glabrous. Filaments 3/4 lin. long, glabrous; anthers 3/4 lin. long, apiculate. Female perianth short and tubular, acutely 5-cleft at the apex. Ovary immersed in the receptacle; style stout, deeply bifurcate, branches flattened, variously twisted, rosy-velvety and stigmatose on the inner face. Fruit drupaceous, about 3/4 in. long, obliquely ellipsoid, striate, glabrous.
