Shrubs erect or scandent, dioecious, unarmed. Branchlets deep brown, with numerous tuberculate lenticels, puberulent. Stipules linear, needlelike, caducous; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially deep green, lanceolate-oblong or oblong, 6-14 × 2.5-6 cm, thickly leathery, abaxially gray-green tomentose, adaxially glabrous, lateral veins 8-10 pairs, base rounded or subrounded, margin often revolute when dry, sparsely hooked serrulate, apex acuminate or caudate-acuminate, rarely acute. Flowers unisexual, 5-merous, few in 2-4 cm, cymose racemes; rachis, pedicel, and calyx puberulent. Sepals triangular, adaxially with conspicuous midvein, apex acute. Petals obovoid, shorter than sepals. Pedicels 1-2 mm. Female flowers with minute rudimentary stamens; ovary 3-loculed; style 3-cleft to half. Drupe red, turning black at maturity, subglobose, ca. 4 mm in diam., with persistent calyx tube at base, with 2 or 3 stones; fruiting pedicel ca. 2 mm, puberulent. Seeds 2 or 3, obovoid-globose, abaxially with margined furrow for 4/5 of length. Fl. Jul-Oct, fr. Aug-Nov.

This species is very similar to Rhamnus esquirolii but differs in having branchlets with numerous tuberculate lenticels; leaves thickly leathery, lanceolate-oblong, abaxially gray-green tomentose, with margins often revolute when dry, sparsely hooked serrulate; and seeds abaxially with margined furrow for 4/5 of their length.

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

After publication of the family treatment for the Flora of China, the earlier publication of the name (Bull. Bot. Lab. N. E. Forest. Inst., Harbin 5: 77. 1979) was found to be invalid, so it was later validated in 2011.

● Limestone slopes. NE Guangxi (Guilin).