Trees or shrubs, erect, to 28 m tall, to 57 cm in diam. Twigs smooth, sparsely pubescent, glabrescent. Petiole 2.5-4 cm; leaf blade abaxially light green, adaxially dark green, suborbicular or broadly ovate, 12-14 × 7-9 cm, papery, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous, base rounded or subrounded, margin entire, apex acuminate. Inflorescences 5-7-flowered; peduncle 3-5 mm. Pedicel 5-8 mm. Flowers strongly fragrant. Petals 6-8(-10), yellow, dark yellow, orange, or brick red, rarely white or cream-yellow, linear, 2-2.5 cm. Stamens 6-8(-10), yellow, pubescent. Ovary 2-loculed; style white; stigma subglobal, 4-lobed. Mature drupe dark violet to nearly black, elliptic, 1.2-1.5 mm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Sep.

Forests, sparse forests, woodlands; 600-1600 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].