Herbs, 10-30 m tall; stems terete to 4-angled, densely villosulous. Leaves opposite, distributed along stems or in clusters near stem apices; petiole 4-10(-20) mm, puberulent to villosulous; blade drying papery, dark green adaxially, greenish yellow abaxially, elliptic, narrowly elliptic, or oblanceolate, 4-14 × 1-4 cm, glabrous adaxially, glabrous on lamina and densely puberulent to villosulous on veins abaxially, base acute to obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse to shortly acuminate; secondary veins 12-16 pairs; stipules persistent, rather leaflike, ovate to ligulate, 4-14 mm, veined, glabrescent, acute to obtuse. Inflorescences terminal, capitate, several flowered, puberulent to glabrous; peduncle 0.4-5 cm; bracts obovate to oblong-oblanceolate or narrowly oblanceolate, 3-10 mm, entire or sparsely ciliate. Flowers subsessile. Calyx glabrous; hypanthium portion obovoid, smooth to 5-ribbed, ca. 1.5 mm; limb lobed for ca. 1/2; lobes ovate to ligulate, 1-1.2 mm, obtuse. Corolla white, funnelform, 6-6.5 mm, glabrous outside; tube densely white villous in throat; lobes subtriangular, margins thickened, apex rostrate. Capsules subglobose, 2.5-3.5 × 3-4.5 mm, glabrous; seeds 0.2-0.4 mm. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Aug.