Shrubs or treelets, 1.5-10 m tall, andromonoecious. Branches softly fulvous villous, with short conic prickles 3-4 mm. Leaves 2(or 3)-pinnately compound, with a pair of accessory leaflets at each division of rachis; petiole to 20-50 cm, pubescent, prickly; petiolules 0-12 mm; leaflets 3-15 per pinna, lanceolate to ovate, 8-20 × 3-10.5 cm, papery, both surfaces densely and softly fulvous villous, secondary veins 8-10 pairs, prominent abaxially, subconspicuous adaxially, tertiary veins subconspicuous abaxially, obscure adaxially, cuticle striate, base rounded to obtuse, margin serrulate, apex acuminate, occasionally acute. Inflorescence a terminal panicle of umbels, densely pubescent, unarmed; primary axis 10-25 cm; secondary axes 40-90 cm; ultimate axes with a terminal umbel of bisexual flowers and 1 to several lateral umbels of male flowers; bracts persistent, narrowly triangular to lanceolate, to 3.5 cm; umbels 8-25-flowered; pedicels 2-11 mm, densely pubescent. Ovary 5-carpellate; styles 5, free. Fruit globose to ovoid-globose, 3.5-5 mm in diam.; styles persistent, radiating. Fl. (May-)Jun-Aug, fr. Oct-Nov.

The first author recognizes the following two varieties based on differences in indument and pedicel length, but they were not retained by Wen (Cathaya 15-16: 128. 2004), who indicated that pedicel length does not appear to exhibit any geographic structuring and can vary even within a single population.

Forests and forest margins on slopes or in valleys, roadsides, along streams; 200-2700 m. Guangxi, Yunnan [India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].