A shrub or small tree with reddish-brown bark that peels off in flakes. Its younger stems are four-angled and somewhat hairy. Its oppositely arranged leaves (7-15 cm long and 3-6.5 cm wide) have 10-20 pairs of prominent side veins. Its white flowers (about 25 mm across) are usually borne singly in the upper leaf forks and have large numbers of stamens. Its rounded to pear-shaped fruit (2.5-10 cm long) is yellow and crowned with the remains of the persistent sepals.