Small evergreen tree 6–10.5(–24, fide Ede 2) m. tall; bark purple-brown, rather rough, flaking in oblong patches; young branchlets very densely hairy with rather coarse reddish-brown stellate hairs, older ones glabrescent. Leaves opposite; blades elliptic, elliptic-lanceolate or oblong, 3–11 cm. long, 0.8–4.2 cm. wide, rather rounded to acute or obtusely acuminate at the apex, truncate to cuneate at the base, not or only minutely peltate (one such leaf observed), entire, the margins sometimes revolute, rather coriaceous, at first thickly covered with rather coarse reddish-brown stellate hairs on both surfaces, soon glabrous above and at length glabrous beneath or retaining only a very few scattered hairs on the midrib and nerves; venation rather prominently reticulate on both surfaces; petiole 0.4–2 cm. long; stipules linear, 5 mm. long, soon falling. Inflorescences capitate, axillary and terminal, 2.5–3.5 cm. in diameter; peduncle 0.1–2 cm. long; bracteoles 2.5–3 mm. long, occasionally adnate to the calyx. Flowers sessile, somewhatsunk into the rhachis, tomentose. Hermaphrodite flowers: calyx-tube 1 mm. long; limb 5 mm. long, divided into 3 lobes (or sometimes 4 if an additional small one included), erect, 2.5–3 mm. long and wide, stellate tomentose outside, tipped with a hairy appendage; petals 5–6, white, linear, (l.4–)l.8– 1.9 cm. long, (l–)2–3.5 mm. wide, narrowed at the base, not revolute, glabrous; stamens 5–6; filaments oblong, flattened, 1 mm. long; anthers 1.3–1.6 mm. long; connective prolonged into an erect beak; styles 1.3 mm. long; ♀ flowers not seen (see note, p. 2). Capsule ± 1–1.1 cm. long including the 4 mm. long apical valves, 0.9–1 cm. across. Seeds creamy to dark brown, ellipsoid or oblong, shiny, 5–6 mm. long, 2–3.5 mm. broad.
