Shrubs, 3–5 m tall; young branches pubescent with gray-brown hairs, older growth drying dark brown, lenticellate; buds narrowly ovoid, 1–1.2 cm, gray pubescent. Stipules narrowly oblong, 16–18 × 3–4 mm, abaxially gray pubescent, adaxially villous; petiole 8–17 mm, pubescent; leaf blade obovate or obovate-rounded, 7–13 × 4–10 cm, membranous, abaxially pubescent, adaxially drying green, glabrous, base asymmetrical, subcordate or rounded, margin serrate, teeth distinctly mucronate, apex acute; lateral veins 8–11 on each side, the 2 lowermost with tertiary veins. Inflorescence terminal on shoots, 9–12 cm in fruit, 11–17-flowered; peduncle 1–1.5 cm, villous, with 1 or 2 basal leaves, basal bracts of inflorescences 4 or 5, ovate, ca. 1.2 cm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially villous; floral bracts ovate, 4–5 mm, tomentose; bracteoles lanceolate, tomentose. Flowers pedicellate. Floral cup 1.2–1.5 mm, glabrous. Sepals ovate-rounded, 1.5–2 mm, glabrous. Petals and stamens not seen. Disk scales 2-lobed, 0.8–1 mm, apex acute. Ovary glabrous; styles 1–1.5 mm. Capsules 9–16, shortly pedicellate, 7–8 mm, glabrous; persistent styles 1.2–1.5 mm. Seeds 3–4 mm. Fl. Mar–Jun, fr. Jun–Aug.

Forests; 2700--3000 m. NW Yunnan.