Shrub or small tree up to 9 m. tall, most parts strongly aniseed-scented; bark grey-brown; branchlets longitudinally rugose, lenticellate, obscurely pale silky when very young, soon glabrous. Leaf-buds golden or ferruginous silky; juvenile foliage red, hanging. Leaf-blades oblong-elliptic or rarely oblong-lanceolate, 8–29.5 cm. long, 3.4–11.2 cm. wide, broadest near the middle, ± acute or obtuse at the apex, rounded or cuneate at the base, somewhat coriaceous, glabrous and very shining above, obscurely adpressed pilose beneath; midrib impressed above, very prominent beneath; lateral nerves 16–21, prominent on both sides; venation reticulate; petiole 4–7 mm. long, thick. Flowers solitary, axillary or growing on the old wood or trunk; bracts 1–2, 3–4 mm. long, 6–7 mm. wide, ferruginous silky; peduncle 2.5–3.7 cm. long, pubescent. Sepals reniform, 5–6 mm. long, 7–8 mm. wide, shortly mucronulate, pubescent outside, glabrous inside. Petals cream or yellow; outer ovate, 1.8–2.3 cm. long, 1.1–1.6 cm. wide, narrowed at the base, longitudinally 6–7-ridged, velvety brown outside, glabrous inside save at the margins; inner narrower, elliptic-obovate, 2 cm. long, 0.95–1.1 cm. wide, considerably narrowed at the base. Stamens 2.2 mm. long. Carpels 5–15, oblong, somewhat 4-angled, 3.5 mm. long, hairy, with ± 12–16 biseriate ovules. Fruiting peduncles up to 5.5 cm. long. Monocarps 4–15, cylindric, 2.5–6 cm. long, 1.3–1.8 cm. wide, obtuse, dark blue-black when ripe, with finely raised pseudosutures, at first brownish pubescent later almost glabrous, 5–16-seeded, slightly constricted between the seeds; stipes obsolete or only 2–3 mm. long. Seeds pale brown, ellipsoid, compressed, 1.1–1.4 cm. long, 9 mm. wide, 5–8 mm. thick.
