Small or medium-sized evergreen tree up to 20 m. tall, sometimes flowering as a shrub 2–4 m. tall. Leaves imparipinnate; petiole and rhachis up to 30 cm. long, minutely puberulous towards base; leaflets up to 15 × 6 cm., usually smaller, 4–8 (9)-jugate, alternate or subopposite, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, apex shortly and bluntly acuminate, base cuneate, asymmetric, the proximal leaflets smaller and proportionally broader, young leaflets densely pubescent, glabrous above when mature, lower surface with conspicuous tufts of hairs in nerve-axils and prominent open reticulate venation. Flowers white, 3–12, in lax to subcapitate compound cymose inflorescences, each part of the inflorescence bearing a simple 3-flowered cyme; peduncle 1–6 cm. long; bracts 1–3 mm. long, subulate, puberulous; pedicels 0·5–1 mm. long. The flowers are functionally either male or female and apparently dioecious, but the differences between them are slight. Calyx c. 3 mm. long, lobed to about the middle, lobes deltate. Petals 4·5–6 mm. long, glabrous except for minute papillae. Filaments about 3·5 mm. long, united for 1/3 – 2/3 of their length, densely hairy towards the apex; anthers 1·5 mm. long, hairy. Pistillode 3 mm. long. Antherodes 1 mm. long. Ovary 3 × 3 mm.; style 1·5 mm. long. Capsule 3–4·5 cm. in diam., very woody, red, densely covered with lobed antler-shaped appendages 7 mm. long, dehiscing by (4) 5 (6) valves, which remain connate at the base; valves 4–6 mm. thick; stipe about 5 mm. long; seeds 2 per loculus, 7 × 5 mm., purple-red, aril bright red, confined to adaxial part of seed, and forming a cushion at the apex.