Small tree up to 12(–18) m. high or occasionally a shrub; bark grey with longitudinal fissures; young branchlets at first pubescent, soon glabrescent. Leaves opposite, subopposite or sometimes alternate; lamina elliptic or narrowly elliptic or obovate-elliptic, up to 7 cm. long and 3.5 cm. wide, apex not or scarcely acuminate, usually apiculate or mucronate, base cuneate to rounded, at first densely sericeous-pilose, especially beneath, eventually pilose to pubescent or almost glabrous, matt or somewhat shiny above; lateral nerves 4–6 pairs, tending to form a rather acute angle with the midrib and to run parallel to the margin; petiole up to 6 mm. long; buds conical, nearly glabrous, tending to be conspicuous in the axils of the old leaves. Inflorescences of axillary subcapitate racemes up to 3 cm. long. Flowers white, hermaphrodite and ♂ in the same inflorescence, ♂ flowers similar to the hermaphrodite flowers (style present but often shorter), the ovary not developing and pedicellatefor 10 mm. Floral characters similar to P. myrtifolia. Fruit 3–4(–5)-winged, obovate to elliptic in outline, 1–1.8 cm. long, 0.6–1.2 cm. wide, glabrous, apex usually emarginate and generally with a distinct apical peg 0.5–3 mm. long, base decurrent into the stipe and usually oblique; stipe up to 2 cm. long, slender.