Semideciduous or ± evergreen shrub or small tree 2.4–15 m. tall, occasionally reported to be subscandent with stout interlacing grey-brown branches, with shoots sparsely to densely brownish-pubescent at first, later glabrescent; bark grey, grey-brown or blackish, smooth to rough, somewhat fissured, flaking or peeling in irregular patches; wood very hard. Leaves tufted on short shoots; rhachis 0.4–3(–4) cm. long, narrowly winged, sparsely to densely pubescent; petioles 1–1.1 cm. long; petiolules 0.1–2 mm. long, pubescent; leaflets yellow-green in 1–2(–3) pairs, opposite or not, oblong, ovate, round or elliptic, 0.5–11.5 cm. long, 1–5.7 cm. wide, obtuse and ± emarginate at the apex, asymmetrically obtuse or acute at base with one side convex and the other concave, glabrous; lateral nerves in 8–15 pairs, the venation finely reticulate above. Flowers white, cream, yellow or greenish, sweet-scented in clusters of cymes in the leaf-axils, or often appearing on short shoots before the leaves; pedicels 2–9 mm. long. Male flowers: sepals linear-lanceolate or oblong, 1–1.5 mm. long, pubescent; stamens 5, much exserted, glabrous. Female flowers: staminodes short; ovary very acutely trigonous, glabrous; stigma 3-fid. Fruit red, orange or yellow, ellipsoidal, at first trigonous, usually becoming rounded at maturity but some retain 2–3 blunt keels particularly near the style base, 1.2–2 cm. long, 0.6–1.2 cm. wide, acuminate, glabrous, not truly dehiscent but breaking irregularly. Seeds brown, irregularly ovoid or ellipsoid, 7.5–13 mm. long, 4–9 mm. wide.