A shrub, 9–12 ft. high; branches moderately stout, pallid, usually pubescent when young, rarely quite glabrous from the beginning. Leaves sessile, rarely subsessile, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, acute or obscurely acuminate, narrowed from the middle downwards, obscurely and minutely cordate or rounded at the base or decurrent on the very short petiole, 4–8 in. long, 2–4 in. broad, papery, usually more or less softly pubescent below, especially on the midrib, rarely quite glabrous; secondary nerves 11–13 on each side, rather spreading (or oblique in the narrow leaves), straight for more than half their length or gently curved. Inflorescences geminate, from the young branch-forks, dichotomously corymbose, many-flowered, more or less pubescent (at least in the lower parts), or more rarely quite glabrous; peduncle rather stout, 1–5 in. long; bracts ovate-oblong, obtuse or subacute, up to 4 lin. long, caducous; pedicels rather slender, 3–7 lin. long. Calyx subcampanulate, herbaceous, 3 1/2–4 1/2 lin. long, with a transverse zone of numerous glands above the base, not or very tardily circumscissile at the base; lobes rotundate-ovate, obtuse, about as long as the tube, at length often spreading or reflexed. Corolla greenish-yellow; tube stout, constricted at the middle and mouth, twisted, 4–4 1/2 lin. long, very finely tomentose on and especially between the filamental ridges, otherwise glabrous between them; lobes broad, obovate to obovate-oblong, up to 7 lin. long. Stamens inserted above the middle; anthers 2–2 1/2 lin. long, tips very shortly exserted, tails moderately long. Disc fleshy, annular, less than half the height of the ovary. Style 2 lin. long. Berries (often one abortive) obovoid-globose, oblique, 2 in. long; pericarp thick, coriaceous when dry, mottled. Seeds coated with a thick pulpy mantle (aril?), longitudinally grooved, grooves wide with transverse partitions; testa finely granular.
