Shrub or small tree, mostly 2.5-3.5 m tall; young branches, petioles, and leaf veins below puberulent and hirsute. Leaves opposite; stipules triangular, to 6 mm long, deciduous; petioles 3-8 mm long; blades obovate to elliptic, acuminate, usually inequilateral and rounded to subcordate at base, 9-16 cm long, 4-6.5 cm wide, subentire to crenulate. Racemes terminal, to 4 cm long; bracteoles ovate, 2-3 mm long, longer than pedicels; rachises, pedicels, sepals, and midribs of petals appressed-hirtellous; pedicels to 2 mm long; flowers few, aromatic; sepals 5, unequal, acuminate, the longest nearly equaling petals; petals 5, cream-colored, to 5 mm long, acute and spreading at apex; stamens 5, to 4 mm long, included; filaments free, to 1 mm long, stout, lacking appendages; anthers sagittate, ca 1.5 mm long, the connective expanded, burnt orange; ovary bearing appressed rufous pubescence; style simple, ca 2.5 cm long, included, pubescent on basal half. Capsules ellipsoid, markedly trilobate, ca 2.5 cm long, splitting widely at maturity; valves puberulent, reticulate; seeds 3 per valve, ca 4.5 mm long, densely puberulent. Croat 8463, 8481. Common at least in some areas of the forest. Flowers and fruits principally from December to May, rarely in the middle of the rainy season. Flower buds are preformed at the end of the rainy season, and the flowers open rapidly after a heavy rain following a period of drought (R. Foster, pers. comm.). Costa Rica to Colombia. In Panama, known from tropical moist forest in the Canal Zone, Bocas del Toro, Panama, and Darien.