Shrubs evergreen, low. Branches creeping, usually rooting at nodes. Branchlets dark grayish brown to grayish black, terete, initially yellowish appressed pilose, glabrous when old. Petiole 2–3(–10) mm, initially yellowish pilose, glabrous when old; stipules mostly caducous, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, 2–4 mm, puberulent; leaf blade elliptic to oblong-elliptic or obovate, 1–2(–3) × 0.7–2.2 cm, thickly leathery, lateral veins 4–6 pairs, somewhat raised abaxially and impressed adaxially, abaxially slightly glaucous, initially appressed pilose, glabrate, adaxially lustrous, glabrous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex obtuse, emarginate, or ± acute. Inflorescences ca. 1 cm in diam., usually 1-flowered, rarely 2- or 3-flowered corymbs; bracts linear-lanceolate, 2–3 mm, pilose. Pedicel 4–6 mm, rarely to 1.5 cm, pilose. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially puberulent. Sepals triangular, 1.5–2 mm and nearly as broad, apex acute. Petals spreading, white, suborbicular or broadly ovate, 4–5 mm in diam., glabrous, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens 20, unequal in length; anthers purple. Ovary pilose apically; styles (3 or)4 or 5, free, nearly as long as stamens. Fruit bright red, subglobose, 6–7 mm in diam., glabrous, pyrenes (3 or)4 or 5. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct. 2n = 34*.

Mountain areas, rocks, sparse mixed forests; 1300--4100 m. Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan.