Shrubs to 3 m tall. Branchlets densely yellow-brown pubescent when young, purple-brown when old; buds purple-brown, ovoid, with 3 or 4 scales pubescent at margin, apex acute. Stipules lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 4–8 mm, herbaceous, pubescent on both surfaces, margin serrate or repand-serrate, ciliate, apex acute; petiole 8–10 mm, densely pubescent; leaf blade ovate to long elliptic, rarely triangular-ovate, 5–10 × 3–6 cm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially sparsely pubescent, base rounded or cordate, margin sharply doubly serrate, often irregularly 3–5-lobed or distinctly lobed ca. 1/2 way to midvein, apex acuminate. Racemes 5–15 cm, 3–5-flowered; peduncle and pedicels densely pubescent. Flowers ca. 4 mm in diam.; pedicel 3–4 mm. Hypanthium cylindric, 5–6 mm, densely pubescent on both surfaces. Sepals triangular, 2–3 mm, shorter than hypanthium, densely pubescent on both surfaces, margin entire, apex caudate. Petals pinkish white, obovate, ca. 3 mm. Stamens 15–20. Ovary cylindric, pubescent only at apex; ovules 5–8. Follicles cylindric. Seeds ovoid. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Jul–Sep.

Stream sides in mixed forests; 1500--3000 m. W Sichuan, NW Yunnan.