Shrubs 1–3 m tall. Branchlets purplish brown or brownish, pubescent, with sparse, curved prickles and dense, purplish brown bristles or glandular hairs. Leaves imparipinnate, 3-foliolate; petiole 2–6 cm, petiolule of terminal leaflet 2–3 cm, lateral leaflets subsessile, petiolule and rachis purplish red bristly, pubescent, with minute prickles; stipules linear, 7–11 mm, pubescent, with intermixed glandular hairs; blade of leaflets elliptic or obovate, 4–8(–12) × 3–6(–9) cm, terminal leaflet much larger than lateral leaflets, abaxially densely tomentose, with purplish red bristles along prominent veins, adaxially veins impressed, pubescent along midvein, base rounded, margin unevenly minute sharply serrate, apex acute, abruptly pointed, shallowly cordate, or subtruncate. Inflorescences terminal, dense glomerate racemes, (1.5–)2–4 cm, flowers several to 10 or more, or flowers several in clusters in leaf axils, rarely flowers solitary; rachis and pedicels pubescent, bristly; bracts linear, 5–9 mm, pubescent. Pedicel 4–6 mm. Flowers 1–1.5 cm in diam. Calyx abaxially pubescent, intermixed yellowish tomentose, sparsely bristly; sepals erect, ovate, 4–5(–6) × 2–3(–4) mm, abaxially densely yellowish gray tomentose, apex acute and abruptly pointed. Petals white or pink, spatulate, longer than sepals, margin premorse, densely pubescent, base clawed. Stamens numerous, shorter than petals; filaments broadened and flattened basally. Ovary pubescent; styles glabrous, slightly longer than stamens. Aggregate fruit golden yellow, subglobose, ca. 1 cm in diam., glabrous or drupelets pubescent at apex; pyrenes triangular-ovoid, densely rugulose. Fl. Mar–Apr, fr. Apr–May. 2n = 14.

Rubus fasciculatus var. tomentosus Cardot (Notul. Syst. (Paris) 3: 314. 1917), described from Yunnan based on P. Ngueou s.n. and Ducloux 5147, is probably a synonym of R. ellipticus; the present authors have not seen the syntypes.

Slopes, montane valleys, sparse forests, thickets, roadsides; 300--2600 m. Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, S Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].