Erect tree to c. 25 m high; bark grey-brown, thick, roughly tesselated; branchlets striate, finally glabrescent. Leaves often whorled, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 4–10 cm long, 1–3.5 cm wide, discolorous, upper surface dark green, dull to shiny, lower surface white-tomentose, midrib and secondary veins at first rusty-pubescent; apex acute or obtuse, sometimes emarginate, mucronate; margins entire or with a few short teeth (juvenile or subadult leaves), flat or slightly recurved; petiole 4–10 mm long. Inflorescence 6–12 cm long, 5–8 cm wide at anthesis. Tepals 22–29 mm long, pale yellow, hairy, deciduous; style curved slightly, yellowish, deciduous. Follicles many, 7–15 mm long, at first tomentose-hirsute, finally glabrescent in upper half; opening spontaneously on ripening 8–10 months after anthesis; body of seed more or less crescentic, 6–10 mm long, wing 10–20 mm long.  Flowers mainly Jan.–Jun.