Shrubs, evergreen, 1.5-2 m tall. Stems and branches brownish gray, terete, sulcate; shoots densely black or yellow-brown verruculose; spines 3-fid, terete, 1-3.5 cm. Petiole 2-4 mm; leaf blade abaxially yellow-green, adaxially shiny, dark green, elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, 6-10 × 1.2-2 cm, leathery, both surfaces not pruinose, abaxially with conspicuously raised midvein, adaxially with slightly impressed midvein, both surfaces with conspicuous lateral veins, reticulate veins fine, base cuneate, margin flat, 5-18-spinose-serrate on each side, apex acute, aristate. Flowers 6-17-fascicled. Pedicels 0.8-2 cm. Sepals in 3 whorls; outer sepals triangular, ca. 2.5 mm, apex caudate-acuminate; median sepals oblong, ca. 3 mm, apex acute; inner sepals elliptic, 4-4.5 × 2-2.5 mm, apex obtuse. Petals elliptic, 3-3.5 mm, base not clawed, with ovate glands, apex entire, rounded. Stamens ca. 2.5 mm; anther connective subtruncate. Ovules solitary, shortly funiculate. Berry red, ellipsoid, 7-8 × ca. 3.5 mm, not pruinose, style persistent. Fl. Mar, fr. Aug-Nov.