Dioecious or sometimes monoecious, deciduous or evergreen shrub or small tree up to 15 m tall; young shoots, leaves and young fruits reddish brown hairy. Leaves alternate, simple; stipules lanceolate, 2–4 mm long, early caducous, leaving fairly prominent scars; petiole up to 25 cm long, grooved, with 2 stalked glands at junction with blade; blade ovate to broadly ovate or 3–5-palmately lobed, up to 20 cm × 18 cm, acuminate at apex, margins entire. Inflorescence a terminal, usually unisexual panicle composed of cymes; male inflorescence 15 cm × 15–20 cm, female inflorescence resembling the male one but often smaller. Flowers unisexual, showy; calyx covering bud and rupturing into 2(–3), often unequal lobes; petals 5(–6), free, oblanceolate to spatulate, 1.5–2.5 cm long, white, clawed; disk of 5–6(–7) erect glands up to 4 mm long; male flower with (7–)8–12(–14) stamens in 2 whorls, united into a c. 2 cm long column; female flowers with superior ovary, densely hairy, 3(–5)-celled, styles c. 8 mm long, united at base, 2-lobed. Fruit an ovoid to globose capsule c. 3.5 cm × 4 cm, apex pointed, with 3(–5) distinct longitudinal ridges and few transverse ribs, tardily dehiscent, glabrescent. Seeds obovoid to globose, 2–2.5 cm × 2–2.5 cm, pointed, brown with longitudinal beige variegations, smooth, hilum large. |
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