Shrubs 2-3 m tall, spinescent. Young branches alternate, rarely subopposite, black-brown or red-brown, often brownish pilose, terminating in an obtuse spine; old branches glabrous, with irregular slits. Leaves alternate or fascicled on short shoots; stipules subulate-linear, longer than petioles, caducous; petiole 3-8 mm, adaxially canaliculate, pilose; leaf blade abaxially pale gray, adaxially dark green, oblanceolate-oblong or elliptic, 3.5-7.5 × 2-4 cm, thinly papery or papery, abaxially pilose, adaxially with adpressed, short hairs, lateral veins 4-6 pairs, prominent abaxially and slightly red, impressed adaxially, base cuneate or broadly cuneate, lower margin subentire or inconspicuously denticulate, upper margin hooked incurved-serrate, apex long acuminate or caudate-acuminate. Flowers yellow-green, large, 4-merous, usually 3-5-fascicled in leaf axils of lower part at branchlets. Pedicels 3-5 mm, puberulent. Male flowers campanulate, 5-6 mm, puberulent or glabrous; sepals ovate-lanceolate, 3-3.5 mm, 3-veined, apex acuminate; petals oblong, ca. equal to stamens, 2-2.5 mm, apex obtuse or mucronulate; rudimentary ovary minute; styles 2-fid. Female flowers: petals very short, fibrous; ovary subglobose; styles 3-cleft to half; stigma incurved. Drupe globose, 3-5 mm in diam., with 2 or 3 stones, with persistent, shallow, cup-shaped calyx tube at base; fruiting pedicel 4-7 mm, puberulent. Seeds dark brown, abaxially with margined short furrow for 1/4 of length. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Oct.

This species is very similar to Rhamnus lamprophylla but differs in having branchlets, leaves, and petioles initially pilose and flowers larger (5-6 mm), puberulent.

Material of this species was not seen by the second author.

● Understories of forests on slopes, thickets; 1000-1800 m. Guizhou, Sichuan.