Evergreen tree to 6 m tall, more or less glabrous except the young shoots and flower buds which are clad in stellate hairs, bark fibrous, tough, branches slender, sucker shoots frequent. Juvenile foliage not seen. Leaves yellow-green, alternate, (3.5-)7-15 × ( 1.5-)3-9.5 cm, elliptic to broadly elliptic, apex obtuse to subacuminate, acumen, where present, often obtuse; young leaves with stellate hairs abaxially, soon glabrescent; margins recurved, entire or distantly and rather obscurely serrate with blunt teeth up to 1(-2) mm long, petiole (1)-2.5(-3) cm long, stipules linear, 3.5 × 0.5 mm. Flowers in axillary fascicles of 1-3(- 15) flowers solitary on articulated pedicels (probably equivalent to a peduncle plus pedicel) 10(-20) mm long, bearing few hairs, Flowers hermaphrodite, regular, up to 10(-23) mm across. Epicalyx absent. Calyx rather deeply toothed, lobes 5, 2 × 2 mm, clad in sparse stellate hairs when young, without adaxial glands. Petals 5, white, obtuse, asymmetrical with a notch on one side of the apex, slightly clawed at base. Staminal column adnate to corolla, bearing c. 20 stamens in 5 bundles, sparse, stiff hairs present abaxially at base of staminal tube, anthers dark red before dehiscence, fading to pale yellow, mono- thecous. Ovary superior, 5-celled, 1.8 × 1.5 mm, with a crown of short hairs at the apex, Ovules pendulous, 1 in each cell. Style branches 5, stigma 0.5 mm wide, capitate or obliquely capitate, not decurrent. Fruit not seen. FL Jan-Mar.

Species floribus ad H. populneam arcte accedens sed foliis late ellipticis, margine revoluto integro vel serrulato ab ea recedens.