Shrub or small tree (0.4–)2–8 m tall with grey to reddish brown rough or slightly fissured bark; branches reddish-brown, slender, ribbed, puberulous or rarely glabrous, later purplish with numerous pale lenticels. Leaves fairly thin, drying green or brown or sometimes blue-green, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, 2–6.7 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, acute to very acutely acuminate at the apex, rounded to broadly cuneate at the base, the margin densely spinulose-serrate with curved teeth; lateral veins ± 25, together with the dense reticulate tertiary venation prominent above but hardly beneath; petiole ± obsolete or up to 1.5 mm long; stipules orange-brown, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, 9 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, soon deciduous. Flowers 1–5 in short raceme-like or subumbellate inflorescences with rhachis 0–2 mm long; pedicels 1.1–2.4 cm long, jointed at base or up to 2 mm from base, puberulous or glabrous. Sepals oblong-elliptic, 5–7 mm long, 4 mm wide, becoming pink or red in fruit and up to 9–11 mm long, 5–6 mm wide. Petals yellow, narrowly obovate, 7–10 mm long, 3–4.5 mm wide. Anthers 1.3–2 mm long, slightly longer or shorter than the filaments, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Carpels 5, the styles completely united; stigma subglobose or 5-lobed. Drupelets black, ellipsoid, 6–7 mm long, 4 mm wide.
