Demissew, Sebsebe (1999) Celastraceae in Flora of Somalia 2: 109-120
Plants shrublets to trees up to 8(-13) m tall unarmed or with spines up to 5 cm long; branches wine-red, glaucous to grey, with indistinct white lenticels, glabrous. Leaves alternate, petiolate; petioles 2-17 mm long; blades 3.2-12.5 cm long, 1.2-8 cm wide, elliptic or oblong to obovate or oblanceolate, more or less leathery, glabrous, bases cuneate, margins crenulate to crenate, tips retuse or truncate.