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A rather weak, soft-wooded shrub, usually (0.5)1.5–4 m high.Bark of branches strongly longitudinally corky-ridged.Twigs densely scurfily stellate-pubescent and strigose.Stipules 5–12 mm long, filiform-subulate, sparingly to densely stellate-pubescent.Petioles (0.5)1–6.5 cm long, evenly stellate-pubescent.Leaf blades 2.5–20 × 1.5–12 cm, elliptic-obovate to oblong-oblanceolate, acutely acuminate at the apex, sharply somewhat irregularly denticulate on the margins, rounded to cordate at the base, chartaceous, scurfily stellate-pubescent and strigose on the midrib and main nerves on upper surface and sparingly strigose between them, evenly scurfily stellate-pubescent beneath; 3–5-nerved from the base, the lateral nerves in 6–7 pairs and the tertiary nerves subparallel.Male inflorescences up to 6 cm long with peduncles 4–5 cm long, 12–15-flowered; bracts 2 mm long, subulate.Male flowers: pedicels up to 5 mm long; sepals 3–4 × 1.5–2.5 mm, ovate, obtuse, greyish-pubescent on the outside except where overlapped, glabrous on the inside, pale green; petals 3–4 × 4 mm, broadly ovate-suborbicular, glabrous, white or greenish; disk glands 1 mm across, rounded, densely sericeous-pubescent; stamens 2–3 mm long, filaments glabrous, anthers 0.5 mm long.Female inflorescences 5–10 cm long with peduncles 4–9 cm long, 2–4-flowered; bracts 4–5 mm long; bracteoles 2 mm long, resembling the male bracts.Female flowers: pedicels 4–5 mm long, stout, thickened upwards, reddish-pubescent; sepals and petals as in the male flowers; disk c. 2 mm across, glabrous; ovary 2 mm in diameter, ovoid-subglobose, densely sericeous-strigose; styles 3 mm long, sparingly pubescent below, otherwise glabrous.Fruit 7 × 9–10 cm, evenly scurfily stellate-strigose.Seeds 5–6 × 4–5 mm, grey, mottled purplish-brown; caruncle applanate, 2 mm across.