Trees small, 4–10 m tall. Branchlets purplish brown or grayish brown, stout, tomentose when young, glabrescent, with pale lenticels. Stipules ovate, herbaceous, apex acuminate to shortly acuminate; petiole 1.5–3 cm, brownish gray tomentose; leaf blade oblong or elliptic, rarely ovate, 7–15 × 3.5–7.5 cm, leathery, midvein stout, prominent abaxially, lateral veins 9–11 pairs, abaxially densely gray tomentose, adaxially lustrous, initially pubescent, glabrescent, base cuneate, margin remotely undulate or obtusely serrate, or nearly entire at base, apex acute rarely obtuse. Panicle 6–10 cm; many flowered; peduncle brownish gray tomentose; bracts and bracteoles ovate, 3–4 mm, pubescent. Pedicel 2–4 mm, brownish gray tomentose. Flowers 1–1.5 cm in diam. Hypanthium cupular, pubescent. Sepals oblong-ovate, 2–3 mm, abaxially pubescent, apex obtuse. Petals white, ovate, 4–5 × 3–4 mm. Stamens 20. Ovary pubescent apically, 2(or 3)-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 2, rarely 3, free or connate basally. Pome dark brown, ovoid to ovoid-globose, 6–7 mm in diam., initially pubescent, glabrescent. Fl. Jun, fr. Jul–Aug.

River banks, dense moist forest understories; 800--1700 m. W Sichuan, SE Yunnan [Laos].