A small tree, sometimes reaching up to 15 m in height, trunk with ashy-white bark. Branches spreading, young shoots divaricate, rough with stellate tomentum. Leaves with 4-10 mm long, scabrous petiole; lamina stellate-tomentose on both sides, rough, ovate to broadly ovate, 3.5-10 cm long, 2-6.5 cm broad, 3-costate, oblique or obtuse at the base, margin glandular-crenate, acute to acu¬minate; stipules subulate, c. 4-5 mm long, densely hairy, caducous.

Cyme 2-8 flowered, antiphyllous, very rarely axillary, peduncle solitary, 2-3.5 cm long, densely hairy to almost glabrous. Flowers yellowish-red, c. 3.5 cm across, pedicel 1.5-2.5 cm long, clavate, densely hairy to glabrescent; bracts subulate, 4-5 mm long, hairy, caducous.

Sepals linear-oblong, 1.7-1.8 cm long, c. 3.5-4 mm broad, stellate hairy outside with 2 distinct furrows and 3 ridges, yellowish-red within, acute. Petals elliptic-oblong, c. 10 mm long, c. 2.5-3 mm broad, basal gland densely ciliate. Stamens variable in length, filaments 6-10 mm long, anthers versatile. Ovary ovoid, 2-4-lobed, hairy, style filiform, c. 10 mm long, stigma 2-4-lobed, papillose. Drupe usually 2-4-lobed, lobes globose, each 4-6 mm in diameter, fleshy, purple, stellate hairy to glabrous.