Tree, usually 15-30 m tall; trunk to 125 cm dbh, the buttresses 1-3 m high, to 4 m wide at base, usually continuous with ribs on trunk; outer bark thin, peeling easily, with prominent, round, evenly distributed lenticels; inner bark with lighter streaks oozing thick, clear, sometimes sweet sap; stems somewhat flexuous, especially near apex; branchlets, petioles, and inflorescence branches bearing dense, ferruginous, stellate, tomentose pubescence. Petioles ca 1 cm long, thick; blades mostly oblong-elliptic, somewhat asymmetrical (especially at base), acuminate at apex, rounded to subcordate at base, 5-40 cm long, 2-15 cm wide, densely brown-arachnoid below, very sparsely so and shiny above, the margins irregularly serrate especially above middle. Thyrses terminal or upper-axillary, 2-8 (16) cm long; flowers 5-parted, enclosed by bracteoles in bud, to 2.5 cm wide when open, the bracteoles 9, densely pubescent, deciduous; sepals free, spreading, ca 12 mm long, oblong-lanceolate, densely pubescent outside; petals spatulate, white or yellow, +/- equaling sepals, pubescent near base; stamens many, ca 9 mm long, in 5 clusters each united at the base, slightly shorter than style; style thick, capitate, ca 5 mm long; stigma obscurely 5-lobed. Capsules +/- elliptic to obovoid, deeply 5-grooved, to 2.5 cm long, densely brown-tomentulose; seeds many, 6-10 mm long, winged. Croat 7327, 7996. Common in the young forest. Flowers in the late rainy and early dry seasons. The fruits mature late in the dry season and early in the rainy season (March to July). Leaves are gradually lost in the dry season and are renewed sometime from April to July.