Blastus lyi H. Léveillé; Bredia cavaleriei H. Léveillé & Vaniot (1906), not (H. Léveillé) Diels (1933); B. mairei H. Léveillé; Fordiophyton cantonense Stapf; F. fordii (Oliver) Krasser; F. fordii var. pilosum C. Chen; F. fordii var. vernicinum Handel-Mazzetti; F. maculatum C. Y. Wu ex Z. Wei & Y. B. Chang; F. multiflorum C. Chen; Oxyspora cavaleriei H. Léveillé; Sonerila fordii Oliver.

Herbs or shrublets, 30-150 cm tall. Stems 4-sided, narrowly winged on angles or lacking wings, with small white spots, glabrous. Petiole 1.5-7 cm, often white-maculate, glabrous or shortly setose; leaf blade broadly lanceolate, oblong, ovate, or rarely lanceolate, (5-)10-22 × 2-8 cm, membranous, abaxially glabrescent or minutely puberulous and with white spots, adaxially glabrous, appressed puberulous, sometimes sparsely strigose between veins, sparsely pilose, or sometimes with glandular trichomes and white spots, secondary veins 2 or 3 on each side of midvein, base subcordate to rarely subcuneate, margin inconspicuously serrulate with each tooth having a terminal seta, apex acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, cymose paniculate or umbellate, 13-20 × ca. 8 cm, to 50-flowered; peduncle 2-10(-15) cm, glabrous; bracts usually purplish red, imbricate at base of pedicel, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 1-1.8 × 1.2-2 cm, caducous. Pedicel 5-15 cm, 4-sided, with dense glandular trichomes or glabrous; bracteoles obovate to elliptic. Hypanthium funnel-shaped, 1-1.5 cm, 4-sided, 8-ribbed, with glandular trichomes, sometimes with white spots. Calyx lobes long triangular to ovate-triangular, 4.5-5 mm, with sparse glandular trichomes, margin glandular ciliate, apex obtuse. Petals pink to reddish purple, apex oblique with 1 glandular trichome at tip. Longer stamens with filament ca. 1.1 cm; anthers linear, ca. 1.5 cm, curved, base lengthened and forming a forked spur. Shorter stamens with filament ca. 7 mm; anthers oblong, ca. 3 mm, base obtuse. Ovary apex with membranous ciliate crown. Capsule campanulate, 6-10 mm, apex 4-lobed; hypanthium exceeding capsule, with glandular trichomes or glabrous. Fl. Jun-Oct, fr. Aug-Nov.

● Sparse to dense forests, mountain slopes, valleys, hillsides, side of ravines, shaded damp places, streamsides, grassy areas, soil rich in humus; 500-1800 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang.