Trees 3–15 m tall, the trunk to 50 cm diameter, the bark gray, whitish or yellowish, stems with abundant latex, tomentose when young with trichomes 0.1–2.5 mm long, becoming glabrescent. Leaves: blades often 9–19 cm long, 6–9 cm wide, ovate to lanceolate, often glabrescent or pubescent below (especially among var. pachyleuta) (velvety below particularly in the southern end of the range near Mexico City), the apex acuminate, the base cordate, with trichomes longer that those on the branches; petioles of larger leaves often 6–8 cm long. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, monochasial, racemose, forming compound-cymose clusters. Flowers in 1 (2) per cyme. Sepals 6–14 mm long, ovate to rarely orbicular, more or less equal, tomentose, the apex obtuse to obtuse-mucronate. Corollas 4–6 cm long, funnelform, tomentose at least on the lobes, white, with green, yellowish, or purplish within the tube. Capsules 17–25 mm long, 4-valvate, brown, glabrous. Seeds 1–4, 10–16 mm long, brown, pilose on the margins with trichomes 10–15 mm long.