Shrubs, 2-5 m tall; branchlets sparsely pubescent to densely appressed pubescent to strigose, or subglabrous. Petiole 7-14 mm, pubescent to strigose; leaf blade membranous or papery, elliptic, elliptic-ovate, or elliptic-lanceolate, 8-20 × 3-5 cm, glabrous adaxially, sparsely pubescent to densely appressed pubescent on midrib, lateral veins, and nervules abaxially, base acute to obtuse or rounded, apex cuspidate-acuminate; lateral veins 5-7 pairs; nervules reticulate, slender and inconspicuous to parallel and conspicuously elevated abaxially; stipules triangular or lanceolate, 3-5 mm, pubescent to strigillose, apparently caducous. Inflorescences congested-cymose to subcapitate, densely strigillose, pedunculate; peduncles slender to robust, 5-15 mm; bracts linear, 2-10 mm. Flowers sessile or subsessile. Calyx purple when fresh, strigillose; hypanthium portion turbinate, 1-1.5 mm; limb 4-5 mm; lobes 4-6, narrowly lanceolate to oblanceolate, 2-4 mm. Corolla light purple when fresh, 7-8 mm, villous inside; tube 3-5 mm, glabrous outside; lobes 4-6, oblong-ovate, 3-4 mm, pilosulous outside. Fruit globose, 0.3-1.5 cm in diam., smooth or with ca. 5 ridges; pyrenes 5. Fl. Apr, Oct-Nov, fr. Jul.