Trees 5-15 m tall. Branchlets stout, with dense unguiculate hairs or subulate scales, not tomentose. Petiole 1.1-3.5 cm, stout, with subulate scales; leaf blade obovate, 17-36 × 12-20 cm, leathery, abaxially yellowish tomentose when young, glabrous when old, unguiculate-scaly on midvein and lateral veins on both surfaces, lateral veins 23-29 pairs, base cuneate, rarely obtuse, margin densely setose-serrate, apex acute. Inflorescences 1-flowered, fascicled on old branches; pedicels to 1.5 cm, somewhat thick, with yellowish indumentum and scales, with 2 bracts below middle; bracts ovate, 5-7 mm, abaxially hairy and scaly. Flowers large, 3.5-4 cm in diam. or larger. Sepals ca. 1 cm, outer 3 elliptic, inner 2 orbicular, abaxially yellowish tomentose and scaly, adaxially yellowish white puberulent at base. Petals white to pink, purple at base, oblong, ca. 1.9 × 1.2 cm. Stamens 120-130. Ovary subglobose, yellowish brown tomentose; styles 4 or 5, distinct. Fruit greenish white, depressed-globose, ca. 8 mm in diam., 5-ribbed, yellowish brown tomentose. Fl. Jul-Sep, fr. Oct-Nov.

Moist mountain forests, valleys; 400-2200 m. SE Xizang, S Yunnan [India, Myanmar].