Vines or clambering subshrubs, to 5 m; stems densely pilosulous to tomentulose, when dry dark straw-yellow. Leaves opposite; petiole 1-5 cm, densely pilosulous or hirtellous and/or tomentulose; blade drying papery, ovate-elliptic, lanceolate-oblong, or oblong-elliptic, 5-15 × 2-6 cm, adaxially moderately to densely pilosulous to strigillose with pubescence denser along midrib, abaxially densely white tomentulose, base obtuse, rounded, truncate, or cordulate, margins flat, apex acute to acuminate; secondary veins 6-8 pairs; stipules generally persistent, triangular, 2-3.5 mm, acute to weakly acuminate. Inflorescences axillary and/or terminal, spiciform to paniculate, cylindrical to narrowly pyramidal, 15-50 cm, branched to 1-3 orders with ultimate axes often very short, densely pilosulous to tomentulose, pedunculate; bracts triangular, 1-4 mm. Flowers sessile or subsessile in congested cymules or small heads. Calyx densely pilosulous to tomentose; hypanthium portion turbinate to ellipsoid, ca. 1 mm; limb lobed nearly to base; lobes triangular, 0.6-1 mm. Corolla lilac, grayish pink, or grayish purple, tubular-funnelform, outside densely papillose to puberulent; tube 5-8 × 2-3 mm, without slits; lobes ovate to triangular, 1-1.5 mm, acute, margins flat to crisped. Fruit globose to subglobose, 4-7 × 4-7 mm, glabrous, drying straw-yellow; pyrenes plano-convex or concavo-convex. Fl. May-Aug, fr. Jul-Nov.

● Forests, thickets, often on limestone; 200-1400 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi.