Shrubs, deciduous, to 2 m tall. Branches dark gray, angulate, black verruculose; shoots pale red, sometimes puberulous, sulcate; spines 3-fid, usually orange, 1-3 cm, stout, adaxially sulcate. Leaves subsessile; leaf blade abaxially grayish or pale green, shiny, adaxially dark green, ultimately both surfaces pale green, oblanceolate, 1-2.5 cm × 5-7 mm, papery, both surfaces initially slightly pruinose, often ultimately not pruinose, abaxially with slightly raised midvein and lateral veins, adaxially with flat midvein, lateral veins slightly impressed, both surfaces with inconspicuous reticulate veins, margin entire, sometimes 1-3-spinulose-serrulate on each side, apex obtuse or acuminate. Inflorescence a subumbellate raceme, 4-8-flowered, 1-2.5 cm. Pedicels 8-15 mm, stout, glabrous; bractlets lanceolate, ca. 3.5 × 1 mm. Sepals in 2 whorls; outer sepals elliptic, ca. 5.1 × 2.8 mm; inner sepals obovate, ca. 5.5 × 4 mm, apex obtuse. Petals narrowly obovate, ca. 4.8 × 2 mm, base clawed, with separate glands, apex entire. Stamens ca. 3 mm; anther connective prolonged, truncate. Ovules 2 or 3. Berry oblong, ca. 10 × 5 mm, slightly pruinose, style not persistent. Fl. May, fr. Sep.
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