Shrubs, deciduous, erect, 2-4 m tall. Spines absent or on old branchlets; young branches with dense rust-colored or dark brown scales. Petiole rust-colored, 3-5 mm; leaf blade adaxially drying green or dark green, early leaves elliptic, late ones lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 3-9 × 1.2-2.2 cm, papery or membranous, abaxially with overlapping silvery scales, scales mostly white, a few pale brown, varying from irregularly shallowly lobed, almost subentire, to deeply lacerate-fimbriate, adaxially with white stellate hairs/deeply lacerate scales or overlapping shallowly bowl-shaped scales when young, ± glabrescent, lateral veins 7-10 per side of midrib, slightly raised on both surfaces, base rounded or slightly obtuse, margin entire, slightly undulate, apex acuminate. Flowers 1-3 in a shortened raceme. Pedicel brown, 5-8 mm; fruiting pedicel light white, 1.5-2.5 cm, slender. Flowers nodding, light white, outside densely silvery scaly. Calyx tube tubular, 4-angular, 4-5 mm; lobes broadly ovate. Filaments ca. 0.6 mm; anthers oblong, ca. 1.5 mm. Style erect, with dense stellate hairs; stigma exserted beyond stamens. Drupe red, ellipsoid, ca. 1.4 × 0.5 cm, densely scaly. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jul-Aug.

● Along forest streams, mountain scrub; 2100-3100 m. SW and W Sichuan, N Yunnan.