Shrubs or lianas, 3-10 m or more; branchlets and inflorescences densely yellowish brown or silver-gray pubescent; branches glabrate, ferruginous-red or dark gray, with light- colored lenticels. Petiole 5-10 mm, canaliculate adaxially; leaf blade leathery, oblong, elliptic-oblong, or ovate-lanceolate, 9-18 × 3-7 cm, young leaves light red, pubescent, old leaves green, glabrous, base broadly cuneate or rounded, abaxially often with 2 glands, apex acuminate; lateral veins 6 or 7 pairs. Racemes axillary or terminal, 5-10 cm, inflorescence yellowish brown pubescent, glabrate; pedicels articulate at middle or distally; bracteoles subulate-lanceolate. Flowers very fragrant. Sepals broadly elliptic or ovate, 5-6 mm, apex rounded, densely yellow-brown pubescent; gland thick, large, oblong, ca. 1/2 adnate on pedicel. Petals white, base yellow maculate, or yellowish or pink, orbicular or broadly elliptic, 8-15 × 5-10 mm, pubescent, apex rounded, base clawed, margin fimbriate. Stamens differing in size, longest 8-12 mm, others 3-5 mm; anthers elliptic, 1-2 mm. Style ca. 12 mm, circinate. Samara body shortly sericeous, wings glabrous, abaxial wing elliptic or obovate-lanceolate, 3.5-5(-7) × 1-1.6 cm, apex entire or retuse, lateral wings lanceolate-oblong, 1.5-3 cm, base of wing with 1 triangular-crested appendage. Fl. Feb-Apr, fr. Apr-May.

Dense forests, sparse forests, shrub forests of valleys, riverbanks, field margins, roadsides; (100-)200-1900 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].