Shrubs 1–3 m tall, with arching branches. Branchlets brown or reddish brown, densely tomentose, with sparse, curved prickles. Leaves imparipinnately compound, 3-foliolate, rarely 5-foliolate on sterile branches; petiole 2–4 cm, petiolule of terminal leaflet 1–2 cm, lateral leaflets nearly sessile, petiolule and rachis densely tomentose; stipules linear, 6–8 mm, pubescent; blade of leaflets variable in shape, 4–10 × 2.5–5(–7) cm, terminal one ovate or suborbicular, rarely ovate-lanceolate, base rounded to shallowly cordate, margin 3-lobed or incised-lobed, lateral leaflets obliquely ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, base cuneate to rounded, abaxially densely gray tomentose, adaxially appressed pubescent or subglabrous, margin unevenly coarsely serrate or incised doubly serrate, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, subracemes or narrow cymose panicles, 6–13(–18) cm; rachis, pedicels, and abaxial surface of calyx densely yellowish gray or gray tomentose-villous and stipitate glandular; bracts linear-lanceolate, tomentose-villous. Pedicel 4–10 mm. Flowers 6–10 mm in diam. Sepals erect, ovate, 5–9(–12) × 3–5 mm, inner sepals gray tomentose-villous at margin, apex acute. Petals purple, obovate or suborbicular, nearly as long as sepals, margin premorse, base clawed. Stamens many, shorter than petals. Pistils numerous, slightly shorter than stamens; ovary slightly soft hairy; styles glabrous. Aggregate fruit orange-red, subglobose, ca. 1 cm in diam., initially sparsely soft hairy, glabrous at maturity; pyrenes minutely rugose. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Jul–Aug. 2n = 14*.

Dense or sparse forests, thickets, slopes, roadsides, stream sides, river sides; 400--2500 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang.