A large leafy tree, 10—30 m tall; bole 60—100 cm in diameter, bark greyish, shallowly sculptured and with pustular lenticels; each node with 2 serial buds; terminal vegetative bud ellipsoid, slightly flattened. Leaves opposite, simple, entire, oblong-ovate, 8—15 cm x 4—10 cm, base broadly rounded, apex abruptly acuminate, glabrous or veins beneath puberulous, veins 12—15 pairs; petiole (1—)2—5 cm long; stipules lanceolate, 2 cm long, pubescent, with 9 veins, inside with colleters at base. Inflorescence terminally on lateral branches, composed of 3(—7) globose heads, 1 head subsessile between 2 others on long peduncles, 5 cm long; head 2.5 cm in diameter when flowering, 1.5 cm when fruiting, receptacle hairy, leafy bracts up to 4 cm long, petiolate, interfloral bracteoles up to 3.5 mm long. Flowers bisexual, 5-merous, sessile; calyx cup-shaped, up to 2 mm long, 5-lobed; corolla yellowish-white turning deep yellow, funnel-shaped, 5—8 mm long, lobes 5, 3 mm long, thickened at apex, margin revolute, a conspicuous ring of hairs inside at base of lobes; stamens 5, on intersection with lobes, anthers lanceolate, cordate, conspicuously protruding from the corolla; ovary inferior, 2-celled, style exserted, 13 mm long, stigma rounded, 2 mm long. Fruit composed of 2 cocci, exocarp thin, splitting loculicidally along its length, 10-ridged. Seeds numerous, shortly winged on 2 sides, lower wing shortly bifid or notched.

Used as a local anaesthetic (aerial parts); antihypertensive (plant); analgesic and stimulant (leaves).

PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation