A thorny and densely branched small tree. Its young stems have a zig-zagging nature and usually bear a single curved thorn at each joint. Its leaves have dark green and glossy upper surfaces and whitish or rusty-hairy undersides. Its inconspicuous flowers are greenish-yellow or whitish in colour and borne in small clusters in the leaf forks. Its rounded fruit (15-30 mm across) consist of a large hard stone surrounded by white fleshy pulp. These fruit turn from green to pale yellow, orange or reddish-brown as they mature.