Shrubs or small trees. Branchlets purplish brown when young, brownish gray when old, angulate, initially tomentose, glabrous when old; buds narrowly ovoid or oblong, 3–5 mm, apex acute; scales several, purplish brown. Petiole 4–6 mm, tomentose when young; leaf blade lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, or oblong-oblanceolate, 4.5–8 × 2–3 cm, veins 8–10 pairs, both surfaces long gray tomentose when young, glabrate or with hairs only along veins when old, base cuneate, margin minutely sharply serrate, apex acuminate. Compound corymbs terminal, 2–5(–8) × 1.5–3 cm, several to many flowered; rachis and pedicels long gray tomentose; bracts linear or linear-lanceolate, 3–4 mm, initially slightly long tomentose, glabrescent. Pedicel 3–6 mm. Hypanthium cupular, 1.5–2 × 2–3 mm, abaxially densely long gray tomentose. Sepals triangular, 1–2.5 × ca. 2 mm, apex ± acute or obtuse. Petals obovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, adaxially usually tomentose near base, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens 20. Ovary densely long tomentose; styles 3, connate basally. Fruit subglobose, 6–7 mm in diam., glabrous or pubescent.

Two varieties occur in China; var. arguta occurs in India and has leaf blade lanceolate, compound corymb 2–5 cm, several flowered, and fruit glabrous.

Thickets, gullies, near water courses; 300--1300 m. Guangxi, Guizhou, S Yunnan [India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].