Trees to 10 m tall. Branchlets blackish brown when old, terete, initially grayish white tomentose, glabrescent, with few elliptic lenticels; buds ovoid, apex acute; scales several, brown, glabrous. Leaves simple; petiole 0.5–1.5(–2) cm, densely grayish white tomentose; leaf blade dark green adaxially, narrowly ovate or elliptic to oblong, 6–12 × 3–7 cm, lateral veins 8–15 pairs, nearly parallel, terminating in marginal teeth, abaxially densely grayish white tomentose, adaxially glabrous, base broadly cuneate or rounded, margin obtusely to sharply serrate, apex acute to shortly acuminate. Inflorescences 4–6 × 5–8 cm, densely 20–30-flowered; rachis and pedicels grayish white tomentose, minutely lenticellate. Pedicel 5–8 mm. Flowers 7–10 mm in diam. Hypanthium campanulate, abaxially grayish white tomentose. Sepals triangular-ovate, apex acute. Petals white, ovate, 3–4 × 3–3.5 mm, apex obtuse. Stamens 18–20, nearly as long as or slightly longer than petals. Styles 2 or 3, not exceeding stamens, basally connate and tomentose. Fruit red or yellow, oblong or obovoid-oblong, 0.9–1.5 cm × 6–9 mm, glabrous or with few inconspicuous lenticels, 2- or 3-loculed, with an annular scar. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Jul–Aug.

Valleys, slopes, stream sides in mixed forests, roadsides; 800--2000 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, W Zhejiang.