Herbs or subshrubs perennial, glabrous, dioecious. Stems blue-green when dry, terete, 40-80 cm, ca. 8 mm in diam., waxy; stems, stipules, petioles, and leaves densely covered with cystoliths. Stipules deciduous, green, oblong, ca. 7 mm, papery, longitudinally 2-ribbed; petiole subequal in length, 0.5-1.5 cm; leaf blade pale green and lustrous on both surfaces, oblong- or linear-lanceolate, 6-10 × 1.5-2.8 cm, papery, 3-veined, lateral veins 12-15 each side, transverse, conspicuous abaxially, external secondary veins anastomosing by margin, base rounded or subcordate, margin serrulate, apex acuminate. Male inflorescence a compact, cymose cluster; female inflorescence unknown. Male flowers light yellowish, then reddish, pedicel 2-3 mm, in bud obovoid, ca. 1.6 mm; perianth lobes 4, elliptic, connate about 1/2 of length, 2 lobes subapically corniculate; stamens 4; rudimentary ovary minute. Fl. Apr.

* Shaded wet places in forests, near streams; 800-1500 m. W Hubei, E Sichuan.