Trees 6–15 m tall. Branchlets grayish brown to grayish black, reddish brown pubescent when young, glabrescent, with distinct orbicular lenticels. Winter buds brown, small, ovoid, pubescent. Petiole ca. 1 cm, reddish brown pubescent; leaf blade oblong-lanceolate to rarely elliptic, 9–17 × 4–7 cm, leathery, both surfaces reddish brown appressed pubescent when young, abaxially with distinct hollowed nectaries near base, adaxially glabrescent, base broadly cuneate to rounded, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate to acute; secondary veins 9–12 on either side of midvein, abaxially raised. Racemes solitary to several in a fascicle, 3–6 cm; rachis, bracts, pedicels, hypanthia, and sepals densely reddish brown pubescent; bracts small, ovate to triangular-ovate, persistent at anthesis. Flowers 2–4 mm in diam. Pedicel 1–2 mm. Hypanthium cyathiform, 1.5–2.5 mm. Sepals 5 or 6, narrowly triangular, slightly shorter than hypanthium. Petals as many as sepals, narrowly oblong, often undistinguishable from sepals although petals slightly longer. Stamens 20–30, longer than petals. Ovary densely pubescent. Style slightly shorter than stamens. Drupe dark brown, ovoid-globose, 7–10 mm and ± as broad, pubescent when young, glabrescent. Fl. Aug–Sep, fr. winter to spring.

Foothill mixed forests, thickets, mountain valleys; 600--2000 m. Yunnan.