Evergreen, large shrub to medium sized tree. Stem with dark brown bark, young shoots stellate hairy. Leaves with 6-8 mm long petiole; lamina lanceolate, 10-13 cm long, 3.5-5 cm broad, 3-costate, almost glabrous, serrate, lower serratures often with cupular glands, acute at both ends, long acuminate; stipules linear-lanceolate, c. 4-5 mm long, setose. Cymes 2-3 (-6)-flowered, peduncles solitary or 2-3 together in axils, 1.5-1.8 cm long. Flowers yellowish-white, c. 2.5 cm across; pedicels as long as peduncles; bracts similar to and as long as stipules. Sepals oblong, 1.2-1.5 cm long, 3-nerved, densely stellate tomentose outside. Petals oblong-elliptic, 4-5 mm long, claw bigger than limb, with large gland covering the whole petal except acute apex. Torus ridged, hairy upper part smaller than the lower glabrous zone. Stamens numerous, filaments c. 4-5 mm long. Ovary mostly bilobed, rarely more or less lobed, hairy; style longer than stamens, stigma with 1-4 laciniate lobes. Drupe mostly of 2, connate lobes, rarely entire or 4-lobed, lobes 6-8 mm in diameter, glabrous, black on maturity.

Fl. Per.: July-October.

Type: Described from East Indies.

Distribution: Northwestern Himalayas eastwards to Burma, Malaya Islands and Indo-China.

The fibre extracted from the bark is used in India for cordage but is not of much commercial value.