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*A moderate-sized, evergreen tree up to 36 m tall; bole 40-65 cm in diameter, buttressed and with kneed pneumatophores. Bark grey to almost black, roughly fissured, usually with large corky lenticels on buttresses and base of stem. Branching mostly sympodial.
*Leaves decussately opposite, simple and entire, coriaceous, elliptic to oblong, 8.5-22 cm √ó × 5-7(-9) cm; base cuneate, rarely obtuse, apex acute; nerves 9-10 pairs; petiole 2-4.5 cm long, often reddish; stipules about 4 cm long, often reddish.
*Flowers solitary, 3-3.5 cm long, generally nodding, with 1-2.5 cm long pedicels, which are bright red on the outside curve; calyx red to pink-red, lobes (10-)12-14(-16), tube usually ribbed at the upper part; petals 13-15 mm long, 2-lobed with acute lobes, each with 3-4 long bristles, outer margins fringed with white silky hairs especially at the base; stamens 8-11 mm long, with linear anthers, embraced by the petals, and twice the number of the petals; ovary inferior, style about 15 mm long with filiform stigma.
*Fruit a campanulate berry enclosed by the calyx tube, 2-2.5 cm long, 1-celled and 1(-2)-seeded.
*Hypocotyl cigar-shaped, slightly angular, with a blunt narrowed apex, perforating the apex of the fruit and falling with it, 15-25 cm √ó × 1.5-2 cm.
This species belongs to Aubréville's model of architecture.
