Bladhia crispa Thunberg, Fl. Jap. 97. 1784; Ardisia crispa var. amplifolia E. Walker; A. crispa var. dielsii (H. Léveillé) E. Walker; A. dielsii H. Léveillé; A. henryi Hemsley; A. henryi var. dielsii (H. Léveillé) E. Walker; A. hortorum Maximowicz ex Regel; A. hortorum var. brachysepala Handel-Mazzetti; A. multicaulis Z. Y. Zhu; A. penduliflora Mez; A. simplicicaulis Hayata; Bladhia crispa var. dielsii (H. Léveillé) Nakai; Tinus crispa (Thunberg) Kuntze; T. henryi (Hemsley) Kuntze.

Shrubs or subshrubs 0.6-1.5 m tall, with creeping rhizomes. Stems usually minutely puberulent or sparsely brown scaly when young. Petiole 5-8 mm; leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 7-25 × 1-5.8 cm, membranous or subpapery, glabrous adaxially, usually ± finely brown scaly abaxially, base cuneate, margin entire or shallowly crenulate, recurved, punctate, apex long acuminate or rarely acute; lateral veins ca. 8 on each side of midrib, marginal vein obscure. Inflorescences terminal, subumbellate, simple, on curved specialized lateral branches 5-10 cm. Flowers white or pink, 4-5 mm. Pedicel 1-1.5 cm, puberulent. Sepals oblong-ovate or lanceolate, ca. 1.5 mm, ± sparsely punctate, glabrous, apex acute or narrowly rounded. Petals ovate, 4-5 mm, punctate, glabrous outside, ± minutely puberulent inside, apex acute. Stamens subequalling petals; anthers narrowly oblong-lanceolate, with or without glands dorsally. Ovary glabrous; ovules ca. 5, uniseriate. Fruit reddish, globose, 5-6 mm in diam., punctate. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Oct-Jan. 2n = 24, 46.

The name Ardisia crispa was misapplied by de Candolle to A. crenata, (see Walker, J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 29: 256. 1939.).

Mixed or broad-leaved forests, damp places, bamboo woods, hillsides, valleys; 100-2500 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi,Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Vietnam]