Perennial herb or subshrub, to 1(–2.5) m tall; erect; young stems pale yellowish to brownish or ferruginous pubescent to tomentose or velutinous,thehairs sessile-stellate, stalked-stellate, and tufted; sparsely pubescent in age. Leaves ovate to broadly ovate (rarely some leaves obovate), 2.5–13 cm long, 1–6 cm wide, apex rounded to emarginate, margin shallowly serrate, base rounded (rarely somewhat cuneate), tomentose above, the hairs stellate or long-armed tufted, paler below and usually more densely stellate, especially along veins and leaf margin, the hairs stellate or long-armed tufted and often reddish-brown, especially along the veins and leaf margin; palmately 3–5-nerved from the base; petiole 0.6–3 cm long, ± 1–2 mm wide, reddish-brown, golden-brown to light-brown velutinous; stipules filiform (rarely subulate), 0.4–1.7 cm long, reddish brown when dry (with scattered stellate hairs), tardily dehiscent. Inflorescences 2–4-flowered cymes, occasionally appearing subumbellate, or flowers solitary; peduncle 1.8–8.5 cm long; pedicels 0.2–4 cm long; both peduncle and pedicels velutinous to tomentose; epicalyx bracts broadly ovate, asymmetrical, 4–12 mm long, 2–8 mm wide, often slightly accrescent in fruit, apex sharply narrowing, acuminate, base cuneate to very shallowly cordate, reddish-brown, golden-brown to pale-yellow velutinous. Floral buds widely ovoid, the sepal tips free. Sepals narrowly ovate, 7–12 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, often slightly accrescent in fruit, velutinous without, glabrous within. Petals obovate, asymmetrical, 6–10 mm long, 4–7 mm wide, yellow, glabrous. Staminal tube ± 1 mm long, free portion of filaments 1–1.5 mm long, anthers ± 1.5 mm long, free portion of staminodes 4–5 mm long, glabrous. Ovary ovoid, 2–3 mm long, 2–3(–7) mm in diameter, densely velutinous; 10–12 ovules per locule; style 0.5–2.5 mm long, briefly pubescent at base; stigma lobes 0.5–1 mm long, erect to spreading or recurved. Capsule ovoid, sometimes pointed at the apex, 6–10 mm long, 6–9 mm in diameter, tomentose; 4–12 seeds per locule; seed trigonous, ± 1.7 mm long, ± 1.2 mm wide, testa scatteredly tuberculate, without an elaisome.