Trees, 8-20 m tall. Young branchlets gray-brown pubescent. Leaves 4-6-crowded at apex of branchlet, subverticillate; leaf blade oblanceolate or obovate-lanceolate, 10-15 × 2-3.5 cm, gray-brown pubescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, except hairy on midrib, pinninerved, lateral veins 8-10 pairs, base acute, apex acuminate. Umbels in leaf axils, sessile, 6-8-flowered. Pedicel 2-3 mm, densely villous. Perianth segments 6, elliptic, 5-6 × 2-5 mm, densely sericeous outside. Male flowers: fertile stamens 9; filaments ca. 6.5 mm, villous, of 3rd whorls each with 2 shield-shaped stipitate large glands at base; rudimentary pistil glabrous; style slender, pubescent; stigma shield-shaped. Immature fruit oblong, ca. 9 mm, seated on entire shallowly cup-shaped perianth tube; fruiting pedicel 6-8 mm, pubescent. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. Jun-Jul.

This species is closely related to Actinodaphne sikkimensis Meisner, from India (Sikkim), but differs in having leaves gray-brown pubescent abaxially, flowers larger, and filaments and style of male flowers villous.

● Evergreen broad-leaved forests, ditch sides; 1300-2000 m. S and SE Yunnan.