Small tree 10–35 ft. high, twigs glabrous, pale green. Leaves long-petioled, membranous, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acute or obtuse, base cuneate, margin closely and shortly or occasionally distinctly glandular-toothed, 7–15 in. long, 3–6 in. wide, rather dark green, paler and finely verrucose beneath, petioles (but not the blades) purplish when young, glabrous; lateral nerves 8–12 pairs, rather spreading, raised beneath; petiole glabrous, 1–1 1/2 in. long near the apices of the twigs, 2 1/2–6 in. (occasionally 12 in.) long on the branches below; stipules very minute. Flowers in axillary spike-like racemes, 8–20 in. long; racemes peduncled; peduncles 1/4–1 1/2 in. long and rhachis closely and softly adpressed-pubescent; bracteoles ovate, cuspidate, densely pubescent, each subtending a fascicle of 3–7 male flowers or a solitary female flower; fascicles at first close set, at length 1/4– 1/3 in. apart: pedicels densely pubescent, males at length 1/6– 1/5 in. long; females 1/16, in fruit 1/10 in. long. Male calyx whitish-green; densely pubescent, depressed-globose in bud; lobes 4, divided nearly to the base. Stamens often 6, occasionally 7–8, outer 4, the rest central; filaments short, surrounded by a ring of glands connate in a distinct crenulate extra-staminal cup, the margin hirsute with short white hairs. Female calyx green, densely pubescent; lobes 4, ovate, acute. Ovary densely velvety, 2-celled; stigmas 2, very slightly united at the base, suborbicular, stellately and plumosely fimbriate. Disk of 2 thick fleshy reniform lobes, organically united around the base of the ovary. Capsule 2-coccous, didymous, 1/2 in. across, tawny velvety; cocci opening loculicidally. Seeds globose, smooth.
