Trees, 25-30 m tall. Bark whitish, pinkish gray, or bluish gray, usually mottled, smooth, exfoliating irregularly leaving underbark regions initially grayish yellow. Branchlets slightly ridged. Young leaves opposite, peltate, shortly petiolate; leaf blade broadly lanceolate, 4-6 cm wide, bristled. Mature leaves alternate, slightly fragrant; petiole 1.5-2 cm; leaf blade lanceolate, 10-30 × 2-4 cm, leathery, secondary veins at an angle of ca. 50° from midvein, intramarginal veins near margin. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, paniculate, umbels 2-4-flowered; peduncle ca. 1 cm, terete. Flower buds obovoid, ca. 9 mm. Hypanthium ca. 6 mm; stipe 4-5 mm; calyptra semiglobose or slightly acute, shorter than hypanthium. Stamens 8-10 mm; anthers ovoid, dehiscing longitudinally. Capsule pot-shaped to ovoid, 1.2-1.5 × ca. 1 cm; disk broad; valves 3 or 4, included in hypanthium. Fl. spring-summer.

Cultivated in Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Taiwan [native to E Australia].