Shrubs, evergreen, 1-1.5 m tall. Branches gray; shoots pale yellow, sulcate, sparsely verruculose; internodes 3-6 cm; spines 3-fid, pale yellow-brown, subterete, 1-2 cm. Petiole 1-3 mm; leaf blade adaxially dark green, oblanceolate or elliptic-obovate, 3.5-7 × 0.8-1.6 cm, leathery, abaxially not pruinose, midvein markedly raised, lateral veins conspicuous, reticulate veins inconspicuous, adaxially with impressed midvein, lateral and reticulate veins inconspicuous, base cuneate, margin 2-4(-6)-serrate on each side, occasionally entire, apex acute, aristate. Flowers 6-12-fascicled. Pedicels reddish, 8-10 mm; bractlets lanceolate, 1.8-2.5 mm. Sepals in 2 whorls; outer sepals lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 3-3.5 mm; inner sepals oblong, 3.5-4.5 mm. Petals obovate, 3-4.5 mm, base slightly clawed, with glands, apex emarginate. Stamens 2.5-3.5 mm; anther connective obtuse or mucronate. Ovules (1 or)2. Berry elliptic-oblong, ca. 7.5 mm, not pruinose, style persistent. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Sep.