Shrub or small tree 2.7–4.5(–10) m. tall, often branched from near the base; bark dark grey, smooth; young twigs dark, very sparsely adpressed pubescent, very soon glabrous or glabrescent, the stem roughened with anastomosing raised parts enclosing narrowly elliptic depressions. Leaf-blades elliptic or oblong-elliptic, mostly rather asymmetrical, 1.7–14 cm. long, 0.7–7 cm. wide, narrowed to the apex, but varying from obtuse to bluntly acuminate, asymmetrically cuneate at the base, thin, glabrous and ± glossy above save for a few hairs on the midrib in very young leaves, densely hairy beneath in the youngest leaf-buds, but soon quite glabrous; midrib and lateral nerves impressed above in life, prominent beneath; venation reticulate and enclosing very numerous microscopic raised dots in the dried state; petioles 1–2 mm. long. Flowers usually sweetly scented, solitary or in 2–3-flowered cymes, extra-axillary; peduncles (possibly actually short side branches) 3–8 mm. long; pedicels of main flowers stout, thickened towards the apex, others more slender, 2–4 cm. long; bracts lanceolate, 0.3–1.1 cm. long, 1.2–4.5 mm. wide, glabrous. Sepals reniform or semicircular, 4–6 mm. long, 4–7 mm. wide, sparsely puberulous or glabrescent save for the margins. Petals at first all green, but later greenish-yellow, yellow, cream, apricot or white, with a broad basal area of reddish-purple inside, very rapidly lengthening as theyoung flowers develop, elliptic, obtuse, the outer larger, 2.1–3.5 cm. long, 1.2–2.3 cm. wide, the inner 1.9 cm. long, 0.9–1.1 cm. wide, tomentose on both surfaces. Stamens orange-buff, 2–2.7 mm. long. Carpels 30–40; ovary 2.2 mm. long; style 1.5 mm. long, densely puberulous. Monocarps green then scarlet, 20–30, spreading, the apices roughly forming a sphere in outline, (1.8–) 4.5–5 cm. long, 6.5–10 mm. wide, finely rugulose when dry, practically glabrous save for a few sparse hairs. Seeds 1.2–1.6 cm. long, 5–6 mm. wide; aril ± 4 mm. long. Fig. 12.
