Shrub 45 cm to 3 m tall, sometimes scandent, twiggy; twigs puberulous, usually short about 2 cm long. Leaves simple, usually glabrous and without acarodomatia, suberect> shining, green, often drying blackish and brittle, very variable in size and shape, some­times aborted or very small on the flowering twigs, oblong, ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 1 - 5-3 • 5 cm long (usually about 2 • 5 cm long) 4-28 mm broad (usually about 9 mm broad), rounded or sometimes acuminate and acute at apex, rounded at base and abruptly narrowed into a petiolule-like base; petiole glabrous or minutely puberulous appearing articulated in the centre or above or below, 1-5 mm long. Inflorescence terminal on short lateral twigs, usually 1-flowered, rarely 3-flowered; pedicels shorter than the calyx, 1-5 mm long, glabrous or rarely minutely puberulous. Calyx glabrous or rarely minutely puberulous in parts; tube 2-3 mm long; lobes 5-9, margins inrolled, appearing subulate with wide sinuses between them, 3-5 mm long sometimes minutely puberulous at least on margins. Corolla white, pink-flushed or lobes dorsally brick red, fragrant; tube 2-3 cm long; lobes about 11, more or less 1 -7 cm long and 4 cm broad. Stamens inserted on the tube in upper half, included, or sub-exserted in short styled flowers; filaments about 1-3 mm long; anthers 3-5 mm long, apiculate. Ovary 2 mm long quadrate, truncate; style 2-lobed at apex, included or eventually exserted in long styled flowers, lobes oblong about 2 mm long. Fruit a twin berry joined at base only, but often only one half developin", oblong to oblong-globose, slightly compressed, about 1-1 ? 5 cm long, 8-10 mm broad and 4 mm thick, green, shiny, turning black when ripe.