Shrubs 1.5-2 m tall, unarmed. Young branches alternate, yellow-green, glabrous, longitudinally striate when dry, ± with lenticels; old branches fissured, gray-brown, terminating in a large, ovoid bud 3-6 mm; scales few, pale yellow, black-brown at base, ciliate. Leaves alternate or fascicled at short shoots; stipules caducous; petiole 1-1.5 cm, adaxially canaliculate, glabrous; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, elliptic or oblong-ovate, rarely lanceolate-elliptic, 5-11 × 2.5-5 cm, papery or thinly papery, both surfaces glabrous, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, prominent abaxially, impressed adaxially, base cuneate, margin sparsely serrate, apex shortly acuminate or acuminate. Flowers unisexual, few fascicled at short shoots. Drupes usually 1 or 2 on short shoots, black at maturity, obovoid-globose, 5-7 mm in diam., with 2 or 3 stones, with persistent calyx tube at base; fruiting pedicel 7-8 mm. Seeds purple-black, shiny, oblong-obovoid, 5-7 mm, abaxially with margined furrow extending over 5/7 of length. Fl. unknown, fr. Jun-Oct.

● Forests, thickets, slopes; 1700-2300 m. W Hubei.