A much-branched shrub or small tree to 7 m high (with Terminalia branching).Bark ± smooth, light grey.Wood soft, white.Internodes variable in length.Leaves interspersed with bract-like scales in the terminal clusters.Petioles 2–5 mm long.Leaf blade 4–18(25) × 1.5–7(10) cm, oblanceolate, obtuse at the apex, narrowed to a rounded or cordulate base, shallowly glandular-serrate or crenate-serrate on the margins, glabrous on upper surface, pubescent at first on the midrib and with domatial hair tufts beneath; lateral nerves in 10–16 pairs.Scales 3 × 2 mm, triangular, acute, densely pubescent without, sparingly so within.Stipules 5–7 mm long, linear-lanceolate, pubescent.Stipels 3–4 mm long, setaceous, glabrous.Male inflorescences up to 7 cm long; axis ± glabrous; bracts 2–3 mm long, triangular-lanceolate, pubescent.Male flowers: pedicels 0.5–1 cm long; buds 1.5 mm in diameter, subglobose, whitish; calyx lobes 1.5 mm long, ovate-lanceolate, pale yellow; stamens 1.5–2 mm long, filaments purple, anthers 0.5 mm long, purplish-tinged; disk glands numerous, dark purple.Female inflorescences up to 11 cm long, 2–6-flowered, otherwise as in the male.Female flowers: pedicels 2–3 cm long, geniculate; sepals in the fruiting stage 2–6 × 1–4 mm, broadly elliptic to elliptic-ovate, obtuse, strongly triplinerved, ± glabrous; staminodes minute; disk 1.5 mm in diameter, thin; ovary size not known; styles 1 mm long, pubescent at the base.Fruit 5–6 × 10 mm, strongly 3-lobed, minutely tuberculate, sparingly or evenly pubescent, grey-green.Seeds 4 mm in diameter, smooth, purplish-brown.
