Shrubs, sometimes treelike, deciduous, 1.5–3 m tall. Branchlets dark reddish brown, slender, initially pilose, soon glabrescent. Petiole 5–7 mm, sparsely tomentose-villous; stipules caducous at fruiting, linear-lanceolate, 3–4 mm, sparsely villous; leaf blade elliptic to broadly ovate, (1.5–)2–3 × (1–) 1.2–2 cm, subleathery, abaxially sparsely tomentose-villous or tomentose, with glaucous bloom, adaxially glabrous, base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex obtuse or emarginate, mucronate. Corymbs (1–)1.5–3 cm, 5–15-flowered; rachis and pedicels sparsely villous; bracts linear-lanceolate, 2–3 mm, slightly villous. Pedicel 2–3 mm. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially glabrous or slightly pilose near base. Sepals broadly triangular, abaxially glabrous or puberulous only apically, apex acute. Petals spreading, white, suborbicular, 5–6 mm in diam., adaxially puberulous near base, base very shortly clawed, apex obtuse. Stamens 20, slightly shorter than petals; anthers purple. Ovary densely pilose apically; styles 2, free, somewhat not exceeding stamens. Fruit dark red, ovoid or pyriform, rarely oblong, (5–) 6–8 mm in diam., pyrenes 2, sometimes united into 1. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Aug–Sep.

Mountain regions, clearings at forest margins, thickets, river valleys; 1300--3400 m. Gansu, Hebei, Sichuan, SE Xizang, Yunnan.