Plant is a large magnificent evergreen resinous tree, reaching up to 25 meter tall. Trunk is about 3 m in girth. Bark is smooth, about 1 cm thick, whitish grey blotched with green, bitter and acrid in taste, peeling off into round flakes. Blaze is dull brown. Wood is white and hard. Young branchlets are drooping, with minute stellate trichomes. Leaves are alternate, elliptic, oblong, 10-25cm X 5-10cm in size, heartshaped or rounded, apex acuminate, margin entire, leathery. Lateral veins are 12-14 pairs, stout and parallel. Stipules are prominent.

Floral Characteristics

Flowers are bisexual, about 2 cm across, white, slightly fragrant, arranged in panicles. Panicle is robust, multi-branched, up to 15 cm long and drooping. Fruit is capsules, 4-6 cm X 2-4 cm in size, pale-brown, fleshy, hard when dry, splitting by 3 valves when ripe