Shrubs deciduous, 1–2.5 m tall, with spreading or ascending branches. Branchlets grayish brown or reddish brown, terete, slender, initially densely gray tomentose, glabrous when old. Petiole (1.5–)2–5 mm, tomentose; leaf blade oblong to elliptic, suborbicular, or ovate, rarely obovate, (1–)1.5–5 × 1–2 cm, herbaceous, veins raised abaxially and slightly impressed adaxially, abaxially white tomentose, adaxially glabrous or slightly pilose, base rounded or broadly cuneate, apex usually obtuse and mucronate, sometimes emarginate. Corymbs 1.5–2 cm, 3–12-flowered; rachis and pedicels white tomentose. Pedicel 2–3 mm. Flowers 8–9 mm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially tomentose. Sepals broadly triangular, 1–2 mm, subglabrous or glabrous, apex acute. Petals spreading, white, ovate to suborbicular, 2.5–3.5 × 2–3 mm, adaxially white puberulous near base, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse, rarely emarginate. Stamens 18–20, slightly shorter than petals; anthers yellow. Ovary densely white pubescent apically; styles 2, free, not exceeding stamens. Fruit red, ovoid to ellipsoid, (5–)7–10 mm, pyrenes 1 or 2. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct.

Dry slopes, forests, forest margins, river and mountain valleys; 1400--2600 m. Gansu, Hebei, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan [?Nepal].