Shrubs or small trees, 2–8 m tall; young shoots densely fulvous- to gray-tomentose. Petiole 10–20 mm, densely gray to fulvous fasciculate-tomentose, granular; leaf blade leathery, oblanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or obovate, 8–20 × 3–7.5 cm; base cuneate or subrounded; apex obtuse or shortly acuminate, apiculate; abaxial surface with indumentum 2-layered, upper layer fawn to fulvous or rust-red, granular, hairs fasciculate branched, lower layer gray, hairs short stellate. Inflorescence racemose-umbellate, 10–20-flowered; rachis ca. 10 mm. Pedicel 1.5–2.5 cm, glabrous; calyx lobes 5, 1–2 mm, acute or subrounded, glabrous; corolla funnel-campanulate, white to pink or rose, with crimson basal blotch and red spots on upper lobes, 3–4 cm, lobes 5; stamens 10, unequal, filaments pubescent at base; ovary and style glabrous; style slightly shorter than corolla, glabrous; stigma capitate. Capsule narrowly elongate-cylindric, curved at maturity, 25–40 × 3–4 mm. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Jul–Oct.

Field observations indicate that the two subspecies overlap morphologically where their geographic ranges overlap, but that they are sufficiently distinct to be maintained at subspecific rank. The typical subspecies appears to be restricted to the SW part of the range of the species.

Abies forests, Rhododendron thickets, alpine slopes; 2700–4400 m. SW Sichuan, SE Xizang, W Yunnan [NE Myanmar].