Shrubs or small trees, 1-5(-8) m tall. Branchlets densely yellow-brown pubescent when young, glabrescent. Leaves 3-foliolate; petiole 2-6 cm; petiolules ca. 1 cm; leaflets elliptic-oblong to elliptic, membranous, abaxially softly tawny pubescent villous on veins and glandular, adaxially sparsely hispid and glandular dotted, base cuneate to rounded, margin entire or sparsely serrate above middle, apex acuminate to acute; central leaflet largest, 2.5-15 X 1.5-8 cm. Cymes axillary, sometimes to 3 per axil, 2.5-4 cm, dichotomous or trichotomous, tawny pubescent; peduncle shorter than petioles, densely pilose; bracts linear, pilose. Calyx with a tube ca. 3 mm, minutely 5-dentate to subtruncate, outside densely pubescent and glandular. Corolla yellowish, tube slender and 1-1.2 cm, outside yellow glandular, inside glabrous except villous below insertion of stamens. Stamens included. Ovary apex densely glandular. Fruiting calyx enlarged, saucer-shaped. Drupes black, obovoid, 5-9 X 4-8 mm. Fl. Jun-Sep, fr. Oct-Nov.

Some Chinese collections are described as having white or pink flowers.

Mixed forests on mountain slopes; 800-1800 m. Yunnan [SE Asia]