Rubus bonatii H. Léveillé; R. boudieri H. Léveillé; R. distans D. Don; R. foliolosus D. Don; R. incanus Sasaki ex Y. C. Liu & Yang; R. lasiocarpus Smith; R. lasiocarpus var. ectenothyrsus Cardot; R. lasiocarpus var. micranthus (D. Don) J. D. Hooker; R. longistylus H. Léveillé; R. mairei H. Léveillé; R. micranthus D. Don; R. mysorensis F. Heyne; R. niveus var. micranthus (D. Don) H. Hara; R. pinnatus D. Don; R. pyi H. Léveillé; R. tongchouanensis H. Léveillé.

Shrubs 1–2.5 m tall. Branchlets purple or green, tomentose when young, soon glabrous, with whitish bloom, with sparse prickles. Leaves imparipinnate, (5–)7–9(–11)-foliolate; petiole 1.5–4 cm, petiolule of terminal leaflet 0.5–1.5 cm, lateral leaflets subsessile, petiolule and rachis tomentose, with sparse, curved minute prickles; stipules linear-lanceolate, 5–8 mm, soft hairy; blade of leaflets elliptic, ovate-elliptic, or rhombic-elliptic, terminal leaflet ovate to elliptic, slightly longer than lateral leaflets, 2.5–6(–8) × 1–3(–4) cm, abaxially gray tomentose, adaxially soft hairy along veins or glabrate, base cuneate to rounded, margin coarsely serrate or doubly serrate, sometimes terminal leaflet 3-lobed, apex acute, rarely obtuse, terminal leaflet sometimes acuminate. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, corymbs, rarely short thyrses, 4–6 cm; rachis and pedicels tomentose; bracts lanceolate or linear, pubescent. Pedicel 5–10 mm. Flowers to 1 cm in diam. Calyx abaxially densely tomentose, with intermixed soft hairs; sepals erect, triangular-ovate or triangular-lanceolate, 5–8 × 2–3 mm, apex acute or abruptly pointed, rarely shortly acuminate. Petals red, suborbicular, 3–5 mm in diam, shorter than sepals, base shortly clawed. Stamens many, nearly as long as petals; filaments broadened basally. Pistils ca. 55–70, nearly as long as stamens; ovary gray tomentose; styles purplish red, base densely gray tomentose. Aggregate fruit dark red when immature, black at maturity, semiglobose, 0.8–1.2 cm in diam., densely gray tomentose; pyrenes shallowly rugose. Fl. May–Jul, fr. Aug–Sep. 2n = 14*.

Thickets on slopes, sparse forests, montane valleys, stream sides, flood plains; 500--2800 m. Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Xizang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Kashmir, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sikkim, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].