Shrubs or small trees, up to 25 m, buttresses not reported, bark grey to brown, finely fissured and lenticelled. Twigs glabrous or sparsely hairy when young. Leaves elliptic to oblong, 3—13(—16) by 2-7 cm, base usually rounded, apex obtuse or bluntly acuminate, often retuse, stiff coriaceous, 6-10(-14) pairs of nerves, venation impressed above, inconspicuous below, puberulous only when young, both sides glabrous when mature, basal glands (0-)2-4, flat Petiole up to 1 cm long. Stipules oblong, 2.5-9 by 1.2-3.5 mm, free. Racemes solitary, in axils of extant or fallen leaves, (4-)5-12(-15) cm long, peduncle short, rachis sparsely hairy, pedicels 1-4 mm long, longer under the fruit. Hypanthium 2-3(-4) mm high, sparsely hairy to almost glabrous outside. Perianth regularly 4-to 6-merous, sometimes irregular, hairy outside. Sepals triangular to ovate, 1-2 mm long. Petals ovate to elliptic, 1-3 mm long, white. Stamens 20-35, filaments up to 5.5 mm, anthers 0.5-1 mm long. Ovary glabrous, style up to 4 mm long. Fruits transversely ellipsoid, 6-10 by 8-11.5 mm, fruiting calyx (i.e. lower part of hypanthium) saucer-to cup-shaped, 3-5 mm diam., exocarp glabrous, red to purplish, endocarp usually hairy inside. Seed with hairy testa.
A sub-canopy tree in forests, and also more open subalpine habitats like thickets; at elevations from 1,500-3,700 metres.
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