Trees or shrubs, 5–10 m tall. Branchlets grayish brown, glabrous; young branchlets glabrous or densely brown villous. Winter buds ovoid, glabrous. Stipules narrowly lorate, 0.8–1.5 cm, margin glandular serrate. Petiole 0.8–1.7 cm, densely spreading villous, glabrescent, with 1–3 nectaries at apex or on apical part; leaf blade elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 6–14 × 2.5–4.5 cm, abaxially pale green, densely spreading-villous on mid and secondary veins but other part pilose, adaxially dark green and glabrous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin acutely serrate or biserrate and teeth with a minute apical gland, apex caudate-acuminate; secondary veins 10–13 on either side of midvein. Inflorescences umbellate or subumbellate, 2–6-flowered; involucral bracts brown, long elliptic, adaxially densely appressed villous; peduncle 0.6–2 cm or nearly absent, spreading yellow villous; bracts ovate, 3–6 mm in diam., margin strongly fimbriate, fimbria with a long-stalked gland. Flowers opening before leaves or nearly so. Pedicel 1–3.5 cm, spreading brown pilose. Hypanthium campanulate, 3.5–5 mm, outside pilose. Sepals elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, nearly twice as long as hypanthium, reflexed, margin ciliate, apex acute to obtuse. Petals white or pink, ovate, apically 2-lobed. Stamens 32–36, nearly as long as petals. Style ± as long as stamens, glabrous. Drupe red, subglobose, 8–9 mm in diam.; endocarp smooth. Fl. Mar–Apr, fr. May–Jun.

Forests, ravines, stream banks; 500--1400 m. Anhui, Chongqing, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan.