These are some of the larger daphnes, making shrubs that may be a metre or more high. They have finely scented flowers, mostly white to pink, but there are also yellow-flowered species. Most are evergreen, but there are also deciduous ones, and most have showy red or orange fruit, so are beautiful garden plants twice in the year.

Daphne tangutica is an evergreen species with shiny, quite dark green leaves. The flowers, deep pink in bud, opening to pale pink, almost white, line the stems, interspersed with the leaves.