A densely branched deciduous shrub, growing up to 3 m tall.
The long shoots glabrous, brown, and slender, while the short shoots green with significant white lenticels.
Leaves thin-chartaceous, glandular-punctate on the back, ovate, 4 to 5 cm in length, 1.5 to 2.5 cm broad.
Leaf apex acuminate, leaf base cuneate, leaf margin sermlate, hirsute on adaxial nerves and nearly glabrous beneath.
Petioles 3 to 8 mm long.
Reticulate veins with 6 to 8 pairs of pinnate lateral veins.

White flowers in axillary umbels with slender pedicels, dioecy.
Male flower: 2 to 5 flowers each inflorescence, 2.5 to 3 mm in diameter, glabrous; 4 or 5 suborbicular petals, margin erose, corolla rotate, base slightly connate; stamens ca.
3/4 as long as petals, anthers oblong and ca.
1 mm.
Female flower: 4 to 6 flowers each inflorescence, glabrous, ca.
3 mm in diameter; flowers 4-6; calyx deeply 4 to 6 lobed; corolla rotate, petals suborbicular, basal slightly connate; staminodes ca.
1 mm, sterile anthers sagittate; ovary ovoid, ca.
1.5 mm in diameter, style present, stigma thickly discoid.

Drupe black and globose, endocarp stony, 5 mm long, 4 mm across, pedicel 2 to 3 cm long.
A densely branched deciduous shrub, growing up to 3 m tall. The long shoots glabrous, brown, and slender, while the short shoots green with significant white lenticels. Leaves thin-chartaceous, glandular-punctate on the back, ovate, 4 to 5 cm in length, 1.5 to 2.5 cm broad. Leaf apex acuminate, leaf base cuneate, leaf margin sermlate, hirsute on adaxial nerves and nearly glabrous beneath. Petioles 3 to 8 mm long. Reticulate veins with 6 to 8 pairs of pinnate lateral veins.
White flowers in axillary umbels with slender pedicels, dioecy. Male flower: 2 to 5 flowers each inflorescence, 2.5 to 3 mm in diameter, glabrous; 4 or 5 suborbicular petals, margin erose, corolla rotate, base slightly connate; stamens ca. 3/4 as long as petals, anthers oblong and ca. 1 mm. Female flower: 4 to 6 flowers each inflorescence, glabrous, ca. 3 mm in diameter; flowers 4-6; calyx deeply 4 to 6 lobed; corolla rotate, petals suborbicular, basal slightly connate; staminodes ca. 1 mm, sterile anthers sagittate; ovary ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm in diameter, style present, stigma thickly discoid.
Drupe black and globose, endocarp stony, 5 mm long, 4 mm across, pedicel 2 to 3 cm long.
Ilex asprella