Growth form: shrub or tree
Height: 2–10 m, twigs grayish, sometimes spiny in the wild
Leaves: evergreen, opposite, leathery, oblong to oval-lanceolate, ash-green above, silky white beneath
Flowers: small, whitish, in clusters
Blooming period: May–June
Fruits: fleshy drupes, green turning black at maturity, 1–2 seeds