Shrubs 0.5–2 m tall, evergreen. Branchlets brownish, reddish brown, or grayish brown, densely gray tomentose-villous; flowering branches arising from rhizomes, sometimes with small prickles. Leaves alternate, simple; petiole 5–10 cm, densely tomentose-villous, unarmed or with sparse, small prickles; stipules leaflike, brownish, oblong, 2–3 × 1–2 cm, tomentose-villous, broader and incised-laciniate near apex; lobes lanceolate; blade suborbicular, 8–14 cm in diam., palmately 5-veined, veins yellowish brown and prominently raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, subleathery, abaxially densely gray or yellowish gray tomentose, with long hairs along veins, adaxially glabrous, base deeply cordate, margin undulate or lobed; lobes unevenly coarsely sharply serrate, apex obtuse or acute. Inflorescences terminal, corymbs or subracemes, (3–)4–6 cm, few flowered, sometimes flowers several in clusters or flowers solitary in leaf axils; rachis and pedicels densely tomentose-villous; bracts oblong, 1.5–2.5 × 1–1.5 cm, tomentose, margin or apex incised-laciniate. Pedicel 1–1.5 cm. Flowers 1.5–2 cm in diam. Calyx abaxially densely tomentose-villous; sepals reflexed in fruit, broadly ovate, 6–10 × (4–)5–7 mm, apex shortly acuminate; outer sepals with margin and apex laciniate; lobes linear-lanceolate, inner sepals entire. Petals white, suborbicular, 7–11 mm in diam., slightly longer than sepals, base clawed. Stamens many, shorter than petals; filaments linear, with slightly broad bases; anthers villous. Pistils 30–60, longer than stamens, glabrous. Aggregate fruit red, globose, 1–1.5 cm in diam., glabrous; pyrenes reticulate. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Aug–Sep.

The fresh fruit are used for jam, candy, drinks, and wine. The roots and young plants are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Forests, slopes, forest understories with rich humus; 500--1500 m. Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang.