Shrubs or small trees. Buds and young branchlets reddish brown tomentellous but glabrous in var. aenea, soon glabrescent. Petiole 1--3 cm; leaf blade narrowly oblong-elliptic to narrowly obovate, 6--23 X 1.8--5 cm, thickly leathery, glabrous, abaxially smooth, often light colored, and subglaucous, base broadly cuneate to rarely subrounded, margin entire but rarely glands on juvenile leaves persisting and blade margin glandular denticulate, apex mucronate-acuminate to acute, midvein, lateral veins, and reticulate veins abaxially inconspicuous and adaxially impressed, lateral veins 7--15 pairs. Inflorescences a glomerule or condensed spike; bracts and bractlets persistent, 2--3.5 mm, densely tomentose but glabrous except for ciliate margin in var. aenea. Ovary 1--1.5 mm, glabrous. Calyx 1.5--2 mm; lobes semi-orbicular, 0.5--1 mm, glabrous or rarely woolly tomentose, margin ciliate. Corolla 5--8 mm, apically ciliate. Stamens 18--25 or ca. 50 in var. aenea. Disc cylindrical, ca. 0.5 mm, glabrous. Drupes narrowly ovoid-cylindric, ca. 1 cm, apex with persistent erect calyx lobes. Fl. Feb-May, fr. Jun-Sep.

1000--2000 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Japan (Okinawa)]