Indian Laurel is an evergreen or deciduous trees, 3-15 m tall. Young branchlets are gray-yellow velvety. Alternately arranged leaves are carried on 1-2.6 cm long gray-yellow velvety stalks. Leaves are mostly elliptic but variable, 7-15 x 3-7 cm, velvety on both surfaces when young, lateral veins 5-12 pairs. Leaf base is wedge-shaped blunt or rounded, tip blunt or shortly tapering. Flowers are borne in solitary or several, few-flowered umbels on short branchlets. Stalks carrying the umbels are 1-1.5 cm. Male flowers have petals imperfect or missing. Fertile stamens are often 15 or more. Fruit is round, 5-7 mm in diameter, fruit-stalk is 3-6 mm, slightly thickened at the top. Flowering: May-June.