Shrubs, deciduous, to 2 m tall. Bark light brown. Branchlets of current year yellow-brown or rusty stellate-pubescent; branchlets of previous year purple-brown, terete, sparsely pubescent or subglabrous, with dispersed, small, raised lenticels. Winter buds lanceolate-triangular, with a pair of adnate scales; scales yellowish brown stellate-pubescent. Leaves always opposite, not clustered at apices of branchlets; stipules absent; petiole green, robust, 6-15 mm, yellow-brown or rusty stellate-pubescent; leaf blade green when young, orbicular-ovate, suborbicular, or elliptic, sometimes obovate, 4-8 × 2.5-5.5 cm, papery, both surfaces yellow-brown stellate-pubescent, midvein raised abaxially, lateral veins 5-7(-9)-jugate, pinnate, arched, branched, ending in teeth, raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, veinlets transverse, slightly conspicuous abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, not lobed, base rounded, broadly cuneate, or cordate, without glands, margin serrate, apex rounded or slightly mucronate. Flowers appearing after leaves; inflorescence a compound umbel-like cyme, terminal, 5-7 cm in diam.; rays whorled; first node of inflorescence usually with 5 rays, dense, gradually glabrescent upward from peduncle, with 2-5 large sterile radiant flowers; peduncles 2-4 cm; bracts caducous, leaflike, green, lanceolate, sparsely hairy; bracteoles scalelike. Flowers on rays of 2nd and 3rd orders, not fragrant, sessile or shortly pedicellate. Sterile flowers: calyx like fertile flowers; corolla white, 2-3 cm in diam., irregularly 4-or 5-lobed; lobes obovate; stamens and pistils not developed. Fertile flowers: calyx green; tube obconical, ca. 1.5 mm, glabrous; lobes ovate, ca. 0.5 mm, glabrous, apex obtuse; corolla yellow-white, rotate, ca. 3 mm in diam., glabrous; tube ca. 2 mm; lobes spreading, ovate, ca. 1/2 as long as tube, apex obtuse, margin entire; stamens subequaling corolla, inserted near base of corolla; filaments ca. 1.5 mm; anthers yellow, oblong, ca. 1 mm; styles slightly exceeding calyx lobes; stigmas 3-lobed. Fruit maturing red, ovoid-orbicular, 5-6 × ca. 4 mm, base rounded, apex rounded, glabrous; pyrenes compressed, ellipsoid, ca. 4 × 3.5 mm, with a broad ventral groove, both ends rounded. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Aug-Sep.
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