Trees or shrubs, 4-7(-10) m. Branchlets covered with grayish white silky pubescence of loosely appressed hairs, with distinct ± rounded lenticels; old branchlets grayish brown. Stipules linear-lanceolate to filiform, 4-6 mm. Petiole 4-8 mm, with grayish white silky pubescence, hairs loosely appressed; leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 5-12 × 1.5-3 cm, papery, abaxially green and glabrous except for sparse silky pubescence on veins, adaxially dark green and nearly smooth or ± scabrous, base obtuse-rounded to ± cordate and symmetric or ± oblique, margin denticulate, apex acuminate; rarely 3-veined from base; secondary veins 3-5(-7) on each side of midvein, ± equally conspicuous. Cymes about as long as petiole. Male flowers: ca. 1 mm in diam.; tepals 5, obovate-navicular. Ovary rudimentary, narrowly obovate. Drupes reddish orange, black when mature, ± globose, compressed, 1.5-2.5 mm in diam.; perianth caducous. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Sep-Dec.

The fiber is used to make ropes and staple rayon.

* Forests, scrub on sunny mountain slopes; 100-2800 m. Guangxi (Longlin), Guizhou, W Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan.