Shrubs, deciduous, to 7 m tall. Bark light brown. Branchlets of current year stellate-pubescent, glabrescent; branchlets of previous year gray-brownish, terete, glabrous, with dispersed, small, rounded lenticels. Winter buds ovoid-lanceolate, with 2 pairs of separate scales; scales pubescent outside. Leaves always opposite, not clustered at apices of branchlets; stipules absent; petiole green, robust, ca. 1 cm, stellate-pubescent, glabrescent; leaf blade green when young, elliptic-oblong or obovate-oblong, 7-11 × 2.5-5 cm, thickly papery, abaxially sometimes stellate-pubescent in axils of veins, adaxially glabrous, midvein raised abaxially, lateral veins 5-10-jugate, pinnate, arched, rarely branched, anastomosing near margin, raised abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, veinlets transverse, conspicuous abaxially, inconspicuous adaxially, not lobed, base broadly cuneate to obtuse, without glands, margin serrate except at base, apex shortly acuminate to shortly cuspidate. Flowers appearing after leaves; inflorescence paniculate, terminal or at apices of short lateral branchlets with 1 pair of leaves, 2.5-3 × 3-3.5 cm; rays opposite, decussate; first node of inflorescence with 2 rays, lax, yellow-brownish stellate-pubescent, without large sterile radiant flowers; peduncles 1.5-5 cm; bracts persistent, leaflike, greenish, ovate-lanceolate, sparsely hairy; bracteoles scalelike. Flowers on rays of 2nd and 3rd orders, not fragrant, sessile or shortly pedicellate. Calyx green; tube tubular, ca. 2.5 mm, glabrous; lobes triangular, ca. 0.7 mm, glabrous, apex ± acute. Corolla white, rotate, ca. 4.5 mm in diam., glabrous; tube ca. 1 mm; lobes spreading, broadly ovate, ca. 2 × 1.8 mm, ca. 2 × as long as tube, apex obtuse, margin entire. Stamens nearly as long as corolla, inserted at apex of corolla tube; filaments ca. 2 mm; anthers yellow-whitish, ellipsoid, ca. 1 mm. Styles equaling or slightly exceeding calyx lobes; stigmas slightly 2-lobed. Fruit maturing red, oblong or ovoid-ellipsoid, 5-6 × 3.5-5 mm, base rounded, apex rounded, glabrous; pyrenes compressed, ellipsoid, ca. 4 × 3.5 mm, with a deep, broad ventral groove, both ends rounded. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Jul-Nov.
Home