Shrub or small tree 2.4–6(–9 fide Semsei 770) m. tall, with grey somewhat fissured bark; branchlets brownish, ridged, lenticellate. Leaf-blades elliptic, obovate, narrowly elliptic-obovate or obovate-lanceolate, 2–12 cm. long, 1.2–5.5 cm. broad, rounded, subacute or very obscurely and obtusely acuminate at the apex, rounded or more rarely cuneate at the base, thin, green above, paler and often rather glaucous beneath; venation delicately reticulate, prominent on both surfaces; petioles ± 5 mm. long. Flowers on branches up to 2.5 cm. in diameter; pedicels 0.3–2.2 cm. long, velvety brown hairy, sheathed at the base by the bracteoles up to 2 mm. long and wide; in the very young stage, before the flowers have developed at all, the buds, consisting of overlapping bracteoles, are strongly reminiscent of a grass spikelet and the leaf-buds are also similar. Sepals broadly triangular-reniform or ovate, 6–9 mm. long and wide, concave, glabrous and often verrucose when dry inside. Petals pale yellow or brownish; outer 3 with lamina semicircular, ± 3.5–5.5 mm. long, 0.8–1 cm. wide, claw 3.5–5.5 mm. long, 3.5 mm. wide, sericeous outside, glabrous inside or only minutely puberulous at the apex; inner 3 with lamina transversely oblong-subreniform, 4 mm. long, 8.5 mm. wide, claw 4–6 mm. long, 2.5–3 mm. wide, ciliate or faintly puberulous outside, glabrous inside (save for the brush of brown bristles); in all petals the lamina is irregularly crenulate. Stamens 0.6–0.8 mm. long. Fruiting pedicels up to ?2.5 cm. long; monocarps 8–15, fusiform, 5–6.8 cm. long, 1.8–2.2 cm. wide, irregularly longitudinally 3–ribbed (or sometimes with additional incomplete ribs), 5-seeded, not at all constricted between the seeds, at first ferruginous tomentose with short hairs, later only patchily so; stipe almost obsolete. Seeds brown, irregularly oblong-ellipsoid, ± 2.5 cm. long, 1.4 cm. wide, 8 mm. thick, the testa thickened on each side to form a wing, which at the apex of the seed terminates in a sort of hook, somewhat crenulated around the terminal hilum; actual faces of the seed undulate, the testa following the rumination of the endosperm.
