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Shrub or tree up to 12 m high, narrowly triangular when young, becoming bushy and virgate; branchlets 3-whorled, thick, flattened or angled towards apex; bark moderately smooth, grey with shallow furrows producing a chequered effect (teste De Winter & Vah-rmeijer 8572); sap yellow, thick. Leaves 3-whorled, rarely 4- or opposite; blade elliptic, ovate or obovate to broadly so, 6-11 cm long, 3-5,5 cm wide, apex acute to rounded, mucro-nate, base broadly cuneate, rounded or cordate, midrib projecting more on lower side, lateral veins 10-12 (-20), terminating in margin, ter­tiary venation variously conspicuous, margin entire or crenate, thickened, coriaceous, young leaves bright red; petiole 4—8 mm long, chan­nelled above, transversely rugose. Flowers polygamous, in fascicles of 5-15 or more, in axils of older leaves on old wood; pedicels 0,8-1,3 cm long, varying in thickness. Sepals 4, unequal, in 2 opposite and decussate pairs, broadly elliptic to orbicular or triangular to transversely ovate, 1-3,5 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, concave. Petals 3-7 (9), ovate, obovate or orbicular, 4,5-5 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, concave, greenish white to cream or pale yellow with orange or reddish longitudinal glandular lines. Male flowers with numerous free stamens inserted on a fleshy cushion formed by the united fasciclodes. Bisexual (and female?) flowers with fewer stamens inserted in a fleshy fasciclodal ring below the ovary; ovary ovoid to globose, 2(3)-locular, 1,5 mm long, 2 mm wide, surmounted by fleshy bilobed stigma. Berry subglobose, 1-4 cm diam., yellowish red or orange, l-2(3)-seeded. Seeds plano-ovoid, 1-2 cm long. Fig. 5.