Clethra bodinieri var. coriacea L. C. Hu; C. bodinieri var. latifolia S. Y. Hu; C. bodinieri var. parviflora W. P. Fang & L. C. Hu; C. bodinieri var. parvifolia S. Y. Hu; C. glandulosa W. P. Fang & L. C. Hu.

Shrubs, 0.5–5 m tall, evergreen. Petiole 4–12 mm; leaf blade elliptic to oblanceolate, rarely oblong, 4.2–13 × 1.2–3.2 cm, thickly papery to subleathery, abaxially strigose on midvein, often with cavities surrounded by stellate hairs in vein axils, often glaucous, with densely glandular appearance under high magnification especially basally, and with tawny to cinnamon colored raised reticulations, base cuneate to acute, margin mucronate-denticulate to mucronate-serrate but basal 1/3 to 1/2 apical acumen entire, teeth 2–15 per side and each 3–10 mm apart, apex caudate-acuminate; secondary veins 7–10 on each side of midvein. Racemes 1 per branchlet, 3–14 cm, gray or brown strigose with simple hairs, rachis basally 0.6–1.4 mm in diam.; bracts subulate, 3–7 mm. Pedicel 2–8 mm at anthesis. Sepals ovate, 2.5–4 × 1–2 mm, with a mixture of small stellate hairs and larger appressed simple hairs, midvein indistinct at anthesis, apex abruptly acuminate. Petals white to reddish pink, 4–5(–7) × 2–3 mm, abaxially smooth, adaxially densely barbate, margin slightly thickened and ± entire to apically slightly fimbriate. Stamens 5.5–7 mm, equal in length to petals or slightly exserted; filaments hirsute; anthers 2.1–2.8 mm. Style 5–7 mm at anthesis, glabrous, apex essentially undivided. Fruiting pedicel 0.5–1.7 cm. Ovary and capsule apically hirsute, with longer hairs 1.1–1.4 mm; persistent style 5–12 mm. Fl. Jun–Aug, fr. Jul–Aug(–Dec).

Dense or open forests on slopes or in valleys, hillside scrub; 200–1700 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Yunnan.