Shrubs dioecious, green or yellowish green, 30-50 cm tall. Branching apical, beneath inflorescence, dichotomous or trichotomous, terete; internodes 4-8 cm. Leaves reduced to pairs of ± scarious scales, 0.5-1 mm. Inflorescences terminal, cymose spikes; peduncle 2-5 mm; 3-5-flowered, central flower with 2 bracts, lateral flowers each with 1 bract; bracts triangular, ca. 1 mm. Male flowers yellow, ovoid in bud, ca. 3 mm; perianth lobes 4, ovate, apex acute. Anthers elliptic, ca. 1.5 mm. Female flowers ellipsoid-ovoid in bud, 2-2.5 mm; perianth lobes 4, triangular, ca. 0.5 mm. Stigma nipple-shaped. Berry greenish yellow, ovoid, 5-6 × 4 mm, smooth. Fl. and fr. Mar-Dec.

The plants have medicinal uses and are parasitic on Corylus ferox, Platycarya strobilacea, Prunus persica, Pyrus pashia, Quercus schottkyana and species of Betula, Populus, and Salix.

* Forests, mountain slopes; 2000-3800 m. W Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan.