Deciduous shrubs or small trees, up to 6 m tall. Branchlets glabrous. Leaves alternate; petiole ca. 1 cm, white tomentose when young; leaf blade obovate or obovate-elliptic, 7-11 × 3-5 cm, white tomentose on both surfaces when young, pinninerved, lateral veins 6-8 pairs, base attenuate, apex shortly acuminate or obtuse-rounded. Umbel solitary at apex of branchlet, 10- or 11-flowered, flowering before leaves or with leaves; peduncle 3-4 mm, pubescent. Pedicel 8-12 mm, pubescent. Perianth segments 6, broadly elliptic, 3-nerved and glandular-punctate. Male flowers: fertile stamens 9; filaments short, glabrous, of 3rd whorls each with 2 yellow rounded glands at base; rudimentary pistil lacking. Fruit globose, 5-6 mm in diam., black at maturity; fruiting pedicel 1.5-2 cm, gray-yellow pubescent when young. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. Jul-Aug.

The leaves and fruits are processed for their aromatic oil and are used in food and cosmetics. The seeds contain ca. 54% of oil, which is used for making soap and lauric acid.

● Mountain slopes, thickets; 1000-2400 m. SE Gansu, Henan, SW Shaanxi, SW Shanxi (Yongji).