Shrubs unarmed, scandent or erect, ca. 4 m tall. Juvenile branches and branchlets ferruginous tomentose or densely puberulent; lateral branches sometimes becoming hooklike. Leaves alternate or subopposite; petiole 3-8 mm, densely puberulent; leaf blade ovate-oblong or ovate, rarely obovate-oblong, 3-8(-11) × 2-5 cm, papery or thickly papery, often rugose when dry, abaxially persistently ferruginous or canescent-tomentose, rarely glabrescent, adaxially whitish tomentose, glabrescent, lateral veins 6-8 pairs, lateral veins and higher vein orders prominent abaxially, distinctly impressed adaxially, base subrounded, rarely subcordate, margin serrulate, apex acute or shortly acuminate, rarely rounded. Flowers sessile, fragrant, 2-bracteate with lanceolate bracts, usually in terminal or axillary spikes or spicate panicles; rachis densely puberulent or tomentose. Calyx pubescent; sepals triangular, hooded, apex acute. Petals spatulate, shorter than sepals, apex 2-lobed, involute. Stamens equaling or longer than petals. Ovary immersed in disk, 2-loculed, with 1 ovule per locule; style short; stigma capitate, entire. Drupe red or purple-red at maturity, globose, with 2 pyrenes. Seeds flat, both ends emarginate, slightly asymmetrical. Fl. Jul-Dec, fr. Mar-Apr of following year.
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