Shrubs, to 5 m, flowering at 1.5 m; rhizomes absent. Stems clustered, branches occasionally arching to ground and rooting at nodes; bark green-tan or maroon-tan, not corky, appearing braided, splitting longitudinally; branchlets green abaxially, maroon to green adaxially, turning red-maroon in fall, densely erect-hairy when young; lenticels not protruding on 2d year branches, area surrounding them not suffused with purple on older branches; pith tan or brown. Leaves: petiole 6–20 mm; blade lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4–12 × 1–5 cm, base cuneate, apex acuminate, abaxial surface pale whitish yellow, hairs white, all appressed and rigid, tufts of hairs absent in axils of secondary veins, midvein and secondary veins densely tomentose, adaxial surface dark green, hairs appressed; secondary veins (4–)5–6 per side, evenly spaced, tertiary veins not prominent. Inflorescences flat-topped or convex, 2–7 cm diam., peduncle 20–70 mm; branches and pedicels green or greenish yellow, turning maroon in fruit. Flowers: hypanthium densely appressed-hairy, especially at base; sepals 1–2.3 mm; petals cream, 3.8–5 mm. Drupes blue, portion in direct sunlight bleached white, globose, 5–9 mm diam.; stone globose, 4–6 mm diam., irregularly longitudinally ridged, apex pointed. 2n = 22
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