Rubus althaeoides Hance; R. arisanensis Hayata; R. arisanensis var. horishaensis Hayata; R. corchorifolius var. glaber Matsumura; R. corchorifolius var. oliveri (Miquel) Focke; R. corchorifolius f. roseolus Z. X. Yu; R. involucratus Focke; R. kerrifolius H. Léveillé & Vaniot; R. oliveri Miquel; R. otophorus Franchet; R. shinkoensis Hayata; R. suishaensis Hayata; R. vaniotii H. Léveillé & Vaniot; R. villosus Thunberg.

Shrubs erect, 1–3 m tall. Branchlets brownish or dark brown to blackish brown, cylindric, prickly, finely hairy, glabrescent. Leaves simple; petiole 1–2 cm, with dense fine, soft hairs when young, with sparse, minute prickles; stipules linear-lanceolate or linear, 5–7 mm, soft hairy; blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 5–12 × 2.5–5 cm, abaxially somewhat dark, densely finely pubescent when young, gradually glabrescent, subglabrescent, with sparse, small prickles along midvein, adaxially pale, finely pubescent along veins, base somewhat cordate, sometimes subtruncate or subrounded, margin undivided or 3-lobed, usually 3-divided on sterile branches, irregularly sharply serrate to doubly serrate, apex acuminate. Inflorescences 1-flowered or few flowers terminal on short lateral branchlets. Pedicel (0.6–) 1–2 cm, finely pubescent. Flowers 1.5–2(–3) cm in diam. Calyx abaxially densely finely pubescent, unarmed; sepals ovate or triangular-ovate, 5–8 × 2.5–4 mm, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Petals white or pinkish, oblong or elliptic, 0.9–1.2 cm × 6–8 mm, longer than sepals, glabrous, base clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens much shorter than petals; filaments short, complanate. Pistils many, slightly shorter than stamens; ovary pubescent. Aggregate fruit of many drupelets, red, subglobose or ovoid-globose, 1–1.2 cm in diam., densely finely pubescent; pyrenes rugose. Fl. Feb–Apr, fr. Apr–Jun. 2n = 14.

The fresh fruit are used for making jam, drinks, and wine. The fruit, seeds, and roots are used in medicine. The stems and roots are a source of tannin.

A form with semidouble or double flowers has been named Rubus corchorifolius f. semiplenus Z. X. Yu. It occurs in Jiangxi and grows on thickets on slopes of hills at about 50 m in elevation.

Sunny slopes, stream sides, montane valleys, thickets, waste places; 200--2600 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu (except NE), Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shandong, Shanxi, S Shaanxi (Qin Ling), Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Xizang [Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam].