Shrubs, evergreen, ca. 1 m tall. Branches grayish brown; shoots pale yellow, angulate, densely puberulous; spines 3-fid, pale yellow, 5-10 mm, slender. Leaves subsessile; leaf blade adaxially deep green, narrowly obovate-elliptic, narrowly elliptic, or obovate, 0.4-2 cm × 2-5 mm, papery, adaxially not pruinose, midvein and lateral veins raised, reticulate veins inconspicuous, base cuneate, margin thickened, slightly revolute, entire or 1-6-spinose-serrate on each side, apex acute or obtuse, aristate. Inflorescence a subumbel, 4-6-flowered, 2-3 cm including peduncle 1.3-2.3 cm; bracts ovate, apex acuminate. Pedicels 3-4 mm, slender, glabrous; bractlets triangular-ovate, 1-1.7 × 0.8-1.1 mm. Flowers golden-yellow, 4-5 mm in diam. Sepals in 2 whorls; outer sepals elliptic, ca. 3.2 × 2.5 mm; inner sepals broadly obovate, ca. 3.5 × 3.2 mm. Petals obovate, ca. 3.1 × 2 mm, base attenuate, not clawed, with separate lanceolate glands, apex incised, lobes acute. Stamens ca. 2.5 mm; anther connective prolonged, rounded. Ovules 3, subsessile. Berry red, ovoid-oblong, 7-9 × 4-6 mm, not pruinose, style ca. 0.5 mm. Fl. May, fr. Jul-Sep.