Thicket-forming shrub or small tree up to c. 3 m. high with tendency to climb; bark grey or greyish-brown; young branchlets densely pubescent to tomentose. Leaves opposite or subopposite; lamina up to 10 x 5·5 cm. (often only c. 4 x 2 cm.), papyraceous to subcoriaceous, brownish-tomentose when young with the indumentum almost concealing the scales, later pubescent to pilose beneath especially on the midrib and nerves, lepidote mainly in the areolae, verruculose or lepidote above, otherwise nearly glabrous, apex blunt to rounded and usually mucronate, base subcordate; lateral nerves 5–7 pairs; petiole 3–5 mm. long, pubescent. Inflorescences of axillary spikes up to 3 cm. long; rhachis nearly glabrous; bracts 1·5 mm. long, filiform, caducous. Flowers sessile, yellow, glutinous when young. Lower receptacle 1·7–2·5 mm. long, tomentose; upper receptacle 2 x 2·5–3 mm., broadly campanulate, lepidote and pubescent. Sepals 0·5–1 x l–1·5 mm., broadly deltate. Petals 1 x 0·8 mm., obovate, emarginate, ciliate at the apex. Stamen-filaments 3·5–4 mm. long; anthers 1–2 mm. long. Disk with very short pilose free margin. Style 3 mm. long, apex not expanded. Fruit reddish-brown, usually satiny, 2–3 x 1·8–2·5 cm., subcircular to broadly elliptic in outline, silvery lepidote with glistening scales, apical peg very short, wings 8–10 mm. broad, stipe 2–7 mm. long. Cotyledons 2, 1–1·7 x 1·8–3 cm., transversely elliptic, arising above soil level; petioles 2–4 mm. long. Scales whitish and usually glistening, c. 60–100µ in diam., deeply to shallowly bowl-shaped and slightly convexly scalloped at each marginal cell, delimited by 8-c. 10 radial walls alone or also up to 6 tangential walls; cell-walls obscured by copious glutinous secretions (except in very old leaves) and ± transparent apart from secretions.