Shrubs deciduous, to 7 m tall; usually thorny; thorns 1–2.5 cm, stout. Branchlets dark yellowish brown when young, grayish brown or dark brown when old, terete, initially white pubescent, glabrous or subglabrous when old; buds purplish brown, triangular-ovoid, glabrous. Stipules falcate or oblong, 8–10 mm, herbaceous, subglabrous; petiole 2–2.5 cm, sparsely pilose or subglabrous; leaf blade ovate or obovate, rarely triangular-ovate, 4–6.5 × 3.5–5.5 cm, abaxially slightly pubescent along midvein and veins, adaxially sparsely pubescent when young, base cuneate, rounded, or cordate, margin sharply serrate (teeth aristate toward apex) and usually with (2 or)3–5 pairs of shallow lobes in apical part, apex acute or obtuse. Corymb 3–4 cm in diam., many flowered; peduncle white tomentose; bracts caducous, lanceolate, herbaceous to membranous. Pedicel 4–7 mm, white tomentose. Flowers 3–4 cm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially white tomentose or glabrous. Sepals ovate or triangular-ovate, 3–4 mm, abaxially pubescent. Petals white, suborbicular, 6–7 × 5–6. Stamens 20. Ovary 2- or 3-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 2 or 3, white tomentose basally. Pome red or purplish red, ellipsoid, 6–7 mm in diam., glabrous; sepals persistent, reflexed; pyrenes 1–3, with deep concave scars on both inner sides. Fl. May, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 34*.

Shaded dense forests on slopes, thickets; 1000--2500 m. Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang.