A very much branched undershrub or shrub up to 2 m. high. Old branches black or rarely somewhat rusty-black, glabrescent, the young ones short, slender, greenish or yellowish-green and rather pubescent with yellowish, straight or curved, antrorse hairs, densely leafy. Leaves 1·5–10 × 0·5–2·5 cm., elliptic, ± attenuate to the acute or subacute apex and to the base, slightly crenate-serrate at the margin, the teeth mucronulate (but not hooked), chartaceous, not shining, pubescent on both surfaces, more densely so along the midrib and nerves, punctate beneath with black glands; petiole slender, up to 2 cm. long. Raceme up to 7-flowered, rarely 1-flowered, pubescent, without tubercle-based hairs; pedicels 4–5 mm. long, very slender, hispidulous or both hispidulous and pubescent. Buds subspherical, pubescent and sometimes also hispidulous (hairs short, very slender). Calyx-lobes 2·25–2·5 mm. long, oblong, with hyaline margin, black-punctate on the back. Petals 3–5·5 mm. long, obtuse, white. Ovary densely pubescent; styles ± 0·6–0·75 mm. long. Capsule 2·5–3 mm. long, ovoid-ellipsoid, pale green, puberulous, without black glands, sometimes pendulous; valves c. 1·5 mm. broad, subelliptic; fructiferous peduncle c. 5 mm. long, sometimes deflexed. Seed 2·25–2·75 mm. long, yellowish-brown; aril less than half the length of the seed.