Trees, 9-15 m tall. Bark on trunk and larger branches blackish, rough, persistent but gray; bark on smaller branches smooth, exfoliating. Branchlets glossy. Young leaves 4 pairs, opposite; leaf blade broadly lanceolate to ovate. Mature leaves alternate; petiole 1.5-3 cm; leaf blade narrowly lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, 10-15 × 1-2 cm or wider, secondary veins conspicuous and at an angle of 55°-60° from midvein, intramarginal veins 1-1.5 mm from margin. Inflorescences axillary, simple, umbels 4-10-flowered; peduncle 1-2.5 cm, terete. Flower buds ovoid, 9-11 mm. Hypanthium obconic, 3-4 mm; stipe 3-5 mm; calyptra 5-7 mm, slightly longer than hypanthium, apex acute. Stamens 5-8 mm; filaments slender; anthers ovoid, dorsifixed, dehiscing longitudinally, glands small. Capsule bowl-shaped to obconic, 4-6 × 6-9 mm; disk broad; valves 4, exserted from hypanthium. Fl. winter.

Cultivated in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Zhejiang [native to SW Australia].