Shrubs 0.5-1 m tall, young stems and branchlets tomentose, glabrescent, hairs a mixture of deep brown verticillate hairs and paler adpressed stellate hairs. Branches grayish, scattered lenticellate. Leaves opposite; petiole 5-12 mm; leaf blade oblong to ovate-oblong, 4-10 × 1.5-5.5 cm; leathery, both surfaces rapidly glabrescent, lateral veins 4-7 pairs, adaxially prominent, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, slightly decurrent into petiole, margin entire and recurved, apex obtuse. Umbels solitary or 2 together, axillary, sometimes at leafless nodes, 2-4-flowered; peduncle 4-6 mm, dark brown tomentose; bracts triangular, 0.5-1 mm. Pedicel 4-5 mm. Calyx ovoid or subovoid, ca. 3 mm, limb annular. Mature bud tubular, 2.2-2.8 cm, tip enlarged, ellipsoid. Corolla red or scarlet, with gray-green tip, slightly curved, with dense, deep brown stellate and verticillate hairs, basal part inflated, lobes lanceolate, 6-9 mm, reflexed. Filaments ca. 1 mm; anthers 4-5 mm. Stigma capitate. Berry reddish, ellipsoid, 6-9 × 3-5 mm, verrucose, pilose. Fl. Jul-Oct, fr. Oct-Dec.