Tree, 6-20 (30) m tall, ca 25 cm dbh; outer bark thin, weakly fissured; inner bark white to tan with granular areas interspersed with round pockets containing thick sap; pubescence ferruginous, both long simple trichomes and shorter stellate trichomes on stems, petioles, lower midribs, axes of inflorescences, and calyces. Stipules triangular, to 2 cm long, subpersistent; petioles 1-3 cm long, long-hispid; blades +/- oblong-elliptic, acuminate, subcordate at base, 10-30 (33) cm long, 6-12 (15) cm wide, sparsely stellate-puberulent above with long simple trichomes on midrib, densely stellate-arachnoid below, serrate; palmate veins at base 3-7. Panicles to 11 cm long, opposite leaves; pedicels to 1.8 cm long; flowers few, 4 or 5-parted; sepals +/- lanceolate, 1.5-2.2 cm long, spreading at anthesis, thick, densely long-pubescent outside, glabrous inside; petals glabrous, spatulate to narrowly obovate, to 1.6 cm long, yellow or less commonly white, spreading at anthesis; stamens numerous, yellow, ca 7 mm long, the outermost irregularly united into a tube, sometimes sterile; anthers to ca 4 mm long, usually sparsely pilose; ovary globose, densely pubescent; style 8-12 mm long, +/- equaling petals; stigma shortly denticulate. Capsules depressed-globose to globose, to 8 cm diam (including bristles), densely covered with bristles, the bristles long, flexible, stout, to 1.5 cm long; seeds numerous, depressed-globose, ca 2.5 mm diam. Croat 4003a, 8170. Frequent in the forest. Flowers mainly in the rainy season (May to December), although a few flowers are seen all year. The fruits probably develop in 6-9 months and are most abundant in the dry season. Leaves fall in the dry season and new leaves are seen in the early rainy season.