Trees, rarely shrubs, 2–15(–25) m tall. Bark grayish brown or grayish black, smooth when young, scaly when old; young branches stout, ± 4-angled, sparsely pubescent with grayish short trichomes, later glabrous; old branches dark brown, with yellowish white or grayish white elliptic to rounded lenticels and semicircular leaf scars. Leaves opposite; petiole 1.5–3 cm; leaf blade light green to slightly white abaxially, broadly elliptic, broadly ovate, or ovate-oblong, rarely elliptic, 9–16(–18) × 3.5–8.8 cm, papery, abaxially papillate, with appressed grayish white or brown short deciduous trichomes, veins 5–8, small veins conspicuous, base rounded, broadly cuneate, rarely oblique, apex acute or shortly acuminate. Inflorescences paniculate or sometimes corymbose cymes, 8–12 cm wide, sparsely or rarely densely pubescent with raised trichomes; peduncle sometimes reddish. Pedicels 0.3–4.5 mm. Flowers fragrant, white, (7–)8–10 mm in diam. Calyx lobes triangular or broadly triangular, 0.4–0.5 mm, rarely to 1 mm, taller than disk. Petals ligulate-oblong to ovate-oblong, 3–4 × 0.9–1.8 mm. Stamens equal to or slightly longer than petals; anthers yellow or rarely blue, oblong or obovoid-oblong. Style cylindrical, slightly expanded at apex to apparently clavate, 2–4 mm; stigma subcapitate, broader than style, slightly lobed. Fruit purplish black or bluish black, subglobose, 4.5–6 mm in diam.; stones compressed globose, (2.6–)3–4 mm in diam., ribs 6 or 8. Fl. Jun–Jul(–Aug), fr. Aug–Sep(–Oct).
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A deciduous tree. It grows up to 15-20 m tall. The bark is dark grey and becomes cracked with age. The leaves are oval and 15 cm long by 7.5 cm wide. They taper to a slender tip. The leaves have a wavy edge and do not have teeth. They are dark green and smooth on the upper surface and bluish-green and hairy underneath. The flowers are small and creamy white. They have four petals. They occur in loose flattened heads which are 15 cm across. The fruit are small and rounded and like berries. They are green but turn reddish-purple then blue black as they ripen. They are 6 mm across.
It is a temperate plant. It is native to China, Japan and the Himalayas. In the Himalayas it grows between 1,500-2,700 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 6-9. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
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Slopes, by streams, dense forests, mixed woods and margins of woods; at elevations from sea level to 3,600 metres.
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