Trees 12-18 m tall; branchlets, petioles, and inflorescences gray-brown stellate tomentose. Petiole 1.5-3 cm; leaf blade elliptic to ovate-elliptic, (12-)20(-27) X (7-)9(-13.5) cm, papery, abaxially stellate tomentose, adaxially glabrescent, both surfaces densely red-brown glandular, base cuneate, margin entire. Cymes 8-13 cm across; peduncle robust, 4-5 cm. Calyx cup-shaped, ca. 0.8 mm, densely gray stellate tomentose. Corolla purple, ca. 3 mm. Filaments ca. 2 X as long as corolla. Ovary pubescent, brown-red glandular. Fruit purple, ca. 3 mm in diam.

Callicarpa erioclona was erroneously reported from Yunnan in vol. 1 of Fl. Yunnan. (1977), but C. yunnanensis differs in having petioles and inflorescences gray-brown stellate tomentose and leaf blade margins entire.

Mixed forests in valleys; 500-600 m. S Yunnan [Vietnam]