A diffuse and spreading shrub, 1-2-5 m high: branches spreading-ascending to erect; bark pale, light-grey to light-brown, more or less smooth; whole plant subglabrous, soon becoming more or less glabrous. Leaves alternate, petioled, petioles up to 5 mm long (usually 4-5 mm); leaf-blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 1-3 cm long and 0 ? 5-1 cm broad, thinly coriaceous, glabrous or with a few scattered appressed hairs on the midrib and margins, glossy (when fresh) finely wrinkled (like old leather) when dry, slightly discolorous; nerves inconspicuous except for the midrib, margins revolute. Flowers dioecious, female or functionally male, pentamerous, solitary, axillary, about 1 cmlo ng, white, pendulous; peduncle about 1 cm long, glabrescent to very sparsely appressed-hairy; bracts 2, linear, 3 mm long, involute. Calyx 5-partite, segments narrow, tapering towards the apex, apex acute, very sparsely strigose outside, sparsely pubescent inside. Corolla deeply 5-lobed, lobes ovate, acute, pubescent at the apex; tube very short. Stamens 10, 4 mm long, anthers linear-lanceolate, bristly especially on the connectives, and with a tuft of bristles at the base; filaments short and broad, glabrous. Ovary conical, densely covered with stiff erect bristles which obscure the shape; style branches 4, glabrous. Fruits globose, up to 1 cm long, thinly pubescent, with scattered long stiff yellowish bristles intermixed with very short hairs; calyx accrescent, very abruptly reflexed; segments lanceolate, 0 • 8-1 • 1 cm long, glabrescent. No ripe seeds seen.
