Large deciduous tree, up to 30 m tall, branches spreading, curved with stout, hard, conical prickles; leaves 5-7 foliolate, leaflets elliptic or lanceolate, entire, 7-20 cm long, glabrous; petioles up to 20 cm, usually longer than leaflets, petiolules prominent, stipules small, triangular, glabrous, caducous; flowers solitary or numerous fascicled at or near the ends of branches; calyx usually cup shaped, faintly or irregularly 3-7 lobed, thick, silky within, glabrous outside; corolla bright red, petals 5, elliptic, oblong, fleshy, recurved, twice as the length of stamens, red; stamens numerous, pentadelphous, arranged in five bundles of about 9-12 each, opposite the petals, filaments flattened, slightly pubescent, connate only at the base, staminal tube short, 5-innermost forked; anthers monothecous, linear; ovary conical, glabrous, ovoid, 5-celled, many ovuled; style cylindric, little longer than stamens, divided into 5, linear, spreading stigmatic branches; capsules oblong, woody, coriaceous, 5-valved, silky within; seeds numerous, ovoid to obovate with silky/cottony fibers.