Shrubs, evergreen, to 5 m tall. Bark gray-brownish. Branchlets of current year gray-whitish stellate-tomentose; branchlets of previous year gray-brownish, terete, glabrous, with dispersed, small, rounded lenticels. Winter buds naked, gray-whitish stellate-tomentose. Leaves always opposite, not clustered at apices of branchlets; stipules absent; petiole green, robust, 5-10 mm, gray-whitish stellate-tomentose; leaf blade greenish white when young, elliptic-ovate or elliptic, rarely elliptic-oblong, 2-4(-6) × 1-2 cm, leathery, abaxially gray-whitish stellate-tomentose, adaxially sparsely stellate-hairy at first, immediately glabrescent, midvein raised abaxially, lateral veins 3-or 4-jugate, pinnate, arched, branched, anastomosing near margin, slightly raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, veinlets transverse, inconspicuous on both surfaces, not lobed, base rounded or narrowed, without glands, margin entire, apex obtuse or slightly acute. Flowers appearing after leaves; inflorescence a compound umbel-like cyme, terminal, 2-5 cm in diam.; rays whorled; first node of inflorescence with 5 short rays, dense, gray-whitish stellate-tomentose, without large sterile radiant flowers; peduncle 0.5-2 cm; bracts caducous, leaflike, green, linear to linear-lanceolate, stellate-pubescent; bracteoles linear. Flowers on rays of 1st and 2nd orders, fragrant, sessile. Calyx greenish; tube tubular, 2-3 mm, glabrous; lobes broadly ovate, very small, 0.5-1 mm, glabrous, apex obtuse. Corolla white, campanulate-funnelform, ca. 6 mm in diam., glabrous; tube 4-5 mm; lobes spreading, orbicular-ovate, ca. 1/2 as long as tube, apex rounded, margin entire. Stamens nearly as long as corolla, inserted near base of corolla tube; filaments ca. 6 mm; anthers yellow, broadly ellipsoid, ca. 1 mm. Styles taller than calyx lobes; stigmas capitate. Fruit initially turning red, maturing black, globose, 5-6 mm in diam., base rounded, apex rounded, glabrous; pyrenes very compressed, oblong, ca. 5 mm in diam., ca. 2 mm thick, with 2 shallow dorsal grooves and 3 ventral grooves, apex rounded. Fl. Jan-Sep, fr. Aug-Oct.
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