Shrubs small, dioecious, to 1 m tall, spinose. Young and annual branches puberulent; branchlets alternate or subopposite, gray-brown or black-brown, scabrous, terminating in a spine. Leaves alternate or fascicled on short shoots; petiole 1.5-3 mm, densely pilose; leaf blade golden-yellow when dry, elliptic, obovate-elliptic, or obovate, rarely oblong, 1-2 cm × 5-10 mm, papery or subleathery, abaxially densely pilose especially on veins, adaxially pilose, lateral veins 3 or 4 pairs, prominent abaxially, ± impressed adaxially, base cuneate, margin often revolute, serrulate, apex obtuse or rounded, rarely emarginate. Flowers unisexual, 4-merous, usually 3-6-fascicled on short shoots. Pedicels 2-3 mm, pilose. Petals lanceolate, subequaling stamens. Styles in female flowers 2-fid or cleft to half. Drupe black at maturity, subglobose, 3-4 mm in diam., with 2 stones, with persistent calyx tube at base; fruiting pedicel 2-3 mm, pilose. Seeds brown, smooth, abaxially with margined furrow for 3/4-4/5 of length. Fl. Apr, fr. May-Aug.
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