Korea Flora: Deciduous small tree. Height 10m. Terminal buds naked, elongated ovoid or ovoid with slightly pointed tips, 1-3mm long, mesotonic accessory buds. Pseudo-terminal buds similar to lateral buds. Leaf branches initially with stellate hairs, later glabrous. Bark peeling, dark brown; young branch pith light green. Leaf scars small and semicircular. Leaves alternate, ovate or oblong, apex acuminate or acute, base cuneate, size 2-8cm × 2-4cm. Upper surface glabrous, lower surface initially hairy, later with hairs only in vein axils or along veins. Margins with slight tooth-like serrations or entire. Petiole 5-10mm long. Flowers in axillary racemes, with 2-5 (occasionally 1) pendulous flowers. Pedicels 1-3cm long. Flowers 1.5-3.5cm in diameter, white. Sepals with rounded tips. Corolla elongated ovoid or elliptical, 1-2cm long, finely pubescent on both sides. 10 stamens, 14mm long, with white hairs at the base and long connectives. Fruit and seed ovoid-globose, 1.2-1.4cm long, with irregularly splitting shell. 

Flowering : May-June

Fruiting: September

Distribution: Central and southern China, some islands of Taiwan, southern Kyushu and Okinawa in Japan; Hwanghae-do, Gangwon-do, Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheongnamdo, Jeollanamdo, Jeoolabukdo, and Jeju in Korea

Ecological characteristics: Shade-tolerant, cold-resistant, slightly weak to drought. Primarily grows in moist, well-lit areas.

Taxonomic notes: Some individuals collected in Jeju Island are suggested to be possible hybrids with Styrax obassia in terms of seed germination.

Japan Flora: Much-branched small tree; branchlets minutely stellate-pubescent while young; leaves membranous, ovate to narrowly oblong, 4-8 cm. long, 2-4 cm. wide, acuminate to acute, acute at base, undulately toothed, usually glabrous and vivid green on upper side, pale green with tufts of axillary hairs beneath, the lateral nerves of 3-5 pairs, the petioles 3-7 mm. long; flowers 1-4, pendulous, in axillary terminal or corymbose racemes, the pedicels 2-3 cm. long; calyx 4-5 mm. long; corolla about 2.5 cm. across, the tube not exceeding the calyx in length, the lobes narrowly ovate, densely white stellate-puberulent externally; fruit ovoid or ellipsoidal 1-1.2 cm. in diameter, mucronate. May-June. Thickets and thin woods in mountains and hills.

Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu; very common.  Ryukyus(?), Korea, China, Formosa, and Philippines.