Shrubs evergreen or deciduous, creeping or erect, 1-2.6 (-4) m tall. Branches brownish, becoming dark brown suffused with purple, sparsely hirsute, soon glabrescent. Leaves alternate, clustered at stem apex; petiole 1-5 mm; leaf blade dull dark green, narrowly elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, (3.5-)5-17 × (1-)1.7-3.2 cm, thinly leathery, both surfaces glabrous, base broadly cuneate, margin sometimes slightly revolute and/or undulate, apex acute, rarely acuminate or obtuse; veins 6-16 pairs. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, (5-)7-12(-15)-flowered; peduncle almost absent; bracts paired, caducous, broadly lanceolate or oblong-ovate, 14-18 × ca. 4 mm, sericeous, apex caudate. Flowers fragrant; pedicel absent or to 4 mm, articulate, densely sericeous. Calyx purplish red or red at least abaxially; tube cylindric, 7-10(-12) mm, exterior densely sericeous; lobes 4, ovate, 5-7 × 3-5 mm, abaxially pubescent, apex slightly retuse to subacute. Stamens 8, lower whorl inserted above middle of calyx tube, upper whorl reaching mouth; filaments ca. 0.5 mm; anthers ca. 2 mm. Disk cupular, ca. 1 mm wide, margin entire. Ovary cylindric-pyriform, ca. 4 mm, glabrous, shortly stipitate; style ca. 0.5 mm; stigma capitate. Drupe black, ovoid, 7-8 × ca. 5 mm. ?Fl. Jan-Mar, fr. Apr-May.
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