Shrubs, deciduous to 3 m tall, branched. Branches with solid pith. Winter buds with several pairs of acute scales. Leaves, petioles, and bracts (sometimes bracteoles and calyx lobes) often sparsely red-brown glandular ciliolate. Petioles 1-3 mm; leaf blade obovate to elliptic or ovate, 0.5-4.5 cm × 2-13 mm, abaxially glaucous, glabrous to pubescent, base cuneate, apex acute or obtuse to rounded and sometimes mucronate. Inflorescences axillary, paired flowers, and on lateral short branches; peduncle 1-30 mm; bracts leaflike, often exceeding calyx lobes in length; bracteoles fused and cupular, ca. 1/2 as long as or equaling ovaries, apex truncate or shallowly dentate. Neighboring 2 ovaries fused above middle or throughout. Calyx shallowly cupular; lobes ovate-triangular, often unequal. Corolla white to pink, often tinged purple-red, tubular-campanulate, 6-10 mm, outside glabrous to pubescent, 4- or 5-lobed; tube inside densely hairy at throat and densely glandular below; glandular hairs in 5 regular lines; tube with 1-5 ± conspicuous pouches halfway up; lobes orbicular-ovate, 1/4-1/3 as long as tube. Stamens and style included; anthers ca. 1 mm; filaments inserted slightly below throat. Ovary usually 2-locular; style not exceeding anthers; stigmas green, globose, mucilaginous. Berry red, suborbicular, 4-6 mm in diam.; calyx persistent; seeds brownish, ovoid to oblong, compressed, 2-3 mm. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Aug-Sep.

Scrub, forests, stony places along river valleys; 2400-4500(-4700) m. SW Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Kashmir, N Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan].