Trees to 10 m tall. Branchlets dark purple or purplish brown when old, terete, robust, tomentose when young, glabrous when old; buds dark purple, ovoid, glabrous or scales sparsely puberulous at margin. Stipules caducous, linear, 6–8 mm, membranous, white tomentose adaxially, margin sparsely glandular denticulate, apex acute; petiole 2–3.5 cm, tomentose; leaf blade ovate, broadly ovate, or narrowly elliptic-ovate, 6–12 × 4–7 cm, abaxially tomentose or subglabrous, adaxially subglabrous, base rounded or cordate, margin doubly serrate, each side 3–5-lobed, apex acute. Corymb umbel-like, 5–9 cm in diam. 8–12-flowered; bracts caducous, linear-lanceolate, membranous, adaxially tomentose, margin sparsely glandular denticulate, apex acuminate. Pedicel 1.5–3 cm, tomentose. Flowers ca. 1.5 cm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially tomentose. Sepals triangular-ovate, 3–4 mm, ca. as long as hypanthium, both surfaces tomentose, margin entire, apex acuminate. Petals white, suborbicular, ca. 8 mm, base shortly clawed, apex rounded. Stamens 20–25, unequal, slightly shorter than petals. Ovary 5-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 5, nearly as long as stamens, glabrous basally. Pome red, globose, 1–1.5 cm in diam., white punctate; fruiting pedicel 2–3 cm; sepals persistent. Fl. May, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 34*.

In autumn, this is an ornamental tree with red leaves and abundant, red fruit. It is very adaptable to poor environmental conditions and can be used as stock for grafting apple trees in W China.

Mixed forests on slopes or by streams in valleys; 1600--3800 m. Guizhou, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Myanmar].