Vines woody. Branches shallowly 4--10-grooved, sparsely puberulous. Leaves simple, occasionally some 2- or 3-sect; petiole 2--6.5 cm; leaf blade ovate-lanceolate, narrowly ovate, or lanceolate, 5.5--16 × (1--)3--7.5 cm, thick papery, abaxially sparsely appressed puberulous only on veins or ± densely appressed puberulous on entire surface, adaxially subglabrous to sparsely short strigose, margin denticulate, apex acuminate to caudate-acuminate; basal veins abaxially prominent. Cymes axillary, 1(--5)-flowered; peduncle 4--15 mm; bracts subulate and 1.2--3 mm, rarely lanceolate and ca. 8 mm. Flowers 1--2 cm in diam. Pedicel 2--4 cm, glabrous, rarely puberulous. Sepals 4, white or yellowish, erect, ovate-oblong to ovate, 1.4--1.9(--2.5) × 0.4--0.8(--1.2) cm, abaxially puberulous only near apex, adaxially sparsely puberulous to subglabrous near margin, apex acute. Stamens 0.9--1.5 cm; filaments densely villous; anthers narrowly oblong to oblong, 1.8--3 mm, glabrous, apex obtuse. Ovaries puberulous. Style 0.8--1.2 cm, densely villous. Achenes narrowly ovate, ca. 3 × 1.2 mm, puberulous; persistent style ca. 4 cm, plumose. Fl. Oct--Feb, fr. Mar--Apr.

* Forests, forest margins, shady slopes, scrub, along streams; 200--2500 m. S Anhui, Fujian, N Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, S Jiangsu, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang.