This slender tree, usually 4-7 m in height, can reach 12 m depending on the climatic conditions. The bark is brown or dark grey, smooth when young but rougher in old age and marked in rectangular segments. The shiny simple leaves are oval or lanceolate with a paler underside which displays the yellow or reddish midrib and veins. Trees are usually evergreen but may be briefly deciduous.

The scented bell-shaped flowers are creamy white, usually with pink speckles in the throat, and are borne singly or in clusters of 2 to 4 on short side branches. They are about 25 mm long and 35 mm wide. The flowers are almost stalkless and appear in spring and early summer, from August to November. The trees are often in full bloom in September hence the common name.

The fruits are round, about 25 mm in diameter and green when young but turn brown as they ripen from January onwards.