Shrubs, deciduous, to 2 m tall. Bark light brown. Branchlets of current year densely yellow-brownish stellate-pubescent, with minute brownish glandular dots; branchlets of previous year dark brown, terete, glabrous, with dispersed, bright, rounded lenticels. Winter buds oblong-ovoid, with 2 pairs of separate scales; scales ovate-lanceolate, stellate-pubescent. Leaves always opposite, not clustered at apices of branchlets; stipules absent; petiole reddish purple, robust, 4-6 mm, densely stellate-pubescent, with minute brownish glandular dots; leaf blade green when young, oblong or orbicular, very rarely ovate, 0.8-3 × 0.7-2 cm, thickly papery, abaxially sparsely stellate-pubescent and with minute brownish glandular dots, more densely hairy on veins, adaxially stellate-pubescent only on veins, midvein raised abaxially, lateral veins 3-or 4-jugate, lowest pair elongating to upper part of blade, thus appearing ± triplinerved, pinnate, arched, branched, ending in teeth, conspicuously raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, veinlets transverse, slightly raised abaxially, impressed adaxially, not lobed, base broadly cuneate to rounded, without glands, margin remotely serrate except at base, apex rounded or slightly acute. Flowers appearing after leaves; inflorescence a compound umbel-like cyme, terminal or at apices of branchlets with 1 pair of leaves, ca. 2.5 cm in diam., to 6 cm at fruiting stage; rays whorled; first node of inflorescence with 5 rays, dense, densely stellate-pubescent and with minute brownish glandular dots, without large sterile radiant flowers; peduncle ca. 5 mm; bracts and bracteoles caducous, greenish brown, linear-lanceolate, membranous, sparsely ciliate. Flowers on rays of 1st and 2nd orders, not fragrant, sessile or shortly pedicellate. Calyx green; tube tubular, ca. 1 mm, with few hairs and brownish glandular dots; lobes broadly triangular, ca. 1/2 as long as tube, glabrous, with minute brownish glandular dots, apex obtuse. Corolla white, rotate, 5-6 mm in diam., glabrous; tube ca. 1 mm; lobes spreading, orbicular, ca. 2 mm, exceeding tube, apex rounded, margin entire. Stamens subequaling corolla, inserted at base of corolla; filaments ca. 2.5 mm; anthers yellow-whitish, broadly elliptic, ca. 1 mm. Styles exceeding calyx lobes; stigmas capitate, 3-lobed. Fruit maturing red, compressed, oblong or orbicular, 8-10 × 5-7 mm, base rounded, apex rounded, glabrous or with glandular dots; pyrenes compressed, ovoid, ca. 6.5 × 4 mm, ventral side slightly impressed and with 1 shallow groove, apex slightly mucronate. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Nov.
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