Shrubs evergreen, 1-5(-8) m tall. Branchlets gray-yellow, terete, longitudinally shallowly striate-sulcate, densely pubescent; terminal buds conical, pubescent. Petiole 1-2 mm, adaxially sulcate, pubescent; leaf blade abaxially greenish, adaxially dark green and shiny, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, rarely ovate, 1.8-4.5 × 0.7-1.5 cm, thickly leathery, glabrous, midvein adaxially shallowly impressed, pubescent, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, evident abaxially, indistinct adaxially, reticulate veins indistinct on both surfaces, base rounded or cordate, margin thickened, recurved, subentire or with 2 or 3 pairs of spines, apex acuminate, with a yellow spine ca. 3 mm. Inflorescences: cymes, fasciculate, axillary on second year’s branchlets. Male inflorescences: cymes of order 1 or 2, 1-3-flowered; 1-flowered pedicels 2-4 mm; 3-flowered peduncles and pedicels ca. 1 mm, sparsely puberulent; bracts ovate, ciliate; bracteoles 2, pubescent; flowers 4-merous; calyx ca. 2 mm in diam., 4-lobed, lobes ovate, apex obtuse or rounded, ciliate; corolla rotate, petals ca. 2 mm, sparsely ciliate, basally connate; stamens longer than petals, anthers oblong; rudimentary ovary subglobose or ovoid, apex obtuse, sometimes slightly 2-lobed. Female flowers not known. Infructescences: 1-fruited cymes; fascicles 2(or 3)-fruited; fruiting pedicels ca. 2 mm, pubescent. Fruit red, obovoid-ellipsoidal, 4-7 mm, 3-4 mm in diam.; persistent calyx explanate, 4-lobed, lobes broadly angular, sparsely puberulent; persistent stigma discoid, retuse at middle; pyrenes 1 or 2, obovoid-oblong, 4-5 mm, 2.5-3 mm in diam., abaxially palmately striate and sulcate, endocarp woody. Fl. Feb-May, fr. Oct.
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