Shrub or tree 1.5–15 m tall with smooth grey bark with lighter patches; branches ± spreading or ascending, whitish or pale brown, glabrous, slightly peeling or puberulous in some specimens from Flora Zambesiaca area. Leaves thin, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 3–7 cm long, 1.3–3.5 cm wide, rounded to acute at the apex and sometimes shortly mucronate-aristate at tip, cuneate to rounded at the base, subentire or finely serrulate at margin, main and subsidiary lateral veins and intervening tertiary reticulate venation ± prominent on both surfaces; petiole 2–4 mm long. Flowers solitary on very short axillary shoots near tops of branches; pedicels 1–1.8 cm long, glabrous or rarely puberulous (not in East Africa), jointed at base. Sepals broadly elliptic, rounded, (0.9 fide Robson–)1.5–2 cm long, 1.2 cm wide, navicular; remaining ± closed so flower is ellipsoid, eventually becoming red and 2–3 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, at length ± spreading. Petals bright yellow, obovate, 26 mm long, 15 mm wide. Anthers 1.5–2 mm long, 1/4–1/2 as long as filaments, dehiscing by apical pores. Carpels 5; styles free towards apex, the ends spreading, with small stigmas. Drupelets ovoid-cylindric, 10 mm long, 6 mm wide.
