Tree, to 40 m tall; trunk more than 1 m dbh, usually weakly buttressed; outer bark light brown, thick, hard, the surface granular and loose; inner bark tan (becoming brown in time), the cells isodiametric. Leaves alternate, paripinnate; stipules conspicuous, linear, to ca 15 cm long, l cm wide, caducous; petioles flat, canaliculate at base, 6-15 cm long; petiole and rachis revolute-winged; rachis 15-30 cm long, continuing past the terminal pair of leaflets into a conspicuous flange 2-7 cm long; petiolules pulvinate, 4-6 mm long, subtended by acute stipels ca 4 mm long; leaflets 10-16; alternate on rachis or opposite, elliptic to oblong, acute to retuse at apex, +/- inequilaterally obtuse at base, 7-22 cm long, 2.5-7.5 cm wide. Panicles terminal, to 40 cm long; pedicels 3-5 mm long, expanded at apex; flowers conspicuous, red-violet, ca 2 cm long; calyx with 2 lobes, these much expanded, obliquely oblong, spreading laterally, to 1.7 (2) cm long, the carinal and lateral teeth very reduced; calyx orchid-colored, sparsely punctate and puberulent; standard to 1.5 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, emarginate, green at base medially, surrounded by a dark band of red-violet, the claw short and strongly recurved; stamens to 1.4 cm long, subequal; filaments fused in basal two-thirds, directed upward near apex; style a little longer than stamens, directed sharply upward; ovary glabrous. Drupes borne on thick stipes ca 8 mm long, plump, oblong, ca 6 cm long and 3 cm wide, at first gray-green-pubescent, becoming brown-pubescent, at maturity filled with an oily, fragrant liquid, the liquid crystalizing when the fruit dries; seed 1, flattened, ca 5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. Croat 6084, Foster 1326, Hladik 441. Common to locally abundant in most areas of the forest. Flowers from May to August, generally in July. The fruits develop to mature size by the late rainy season, with most maturing from January to April. Leaves are deciduous during part of the dry season. Recognized by the light granular bark. Bees are very active visitors when the tree is in full flower. The fruits are taken by white-faced, spider, and howler monkeys as early as November (Hladik & Hladik, 1969). White-faced monkeys eat the fruits mostly from January to April (Oppenheimer, 1968). removing a part of the mesocarp, surrounding. the seed before discarding the remainder. Fruits are also taken by bats, rodents, and coatis (R. Foster, pers. comm.).