Sageretia subcaudata is a small woody shrub reaching a height of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in). It has green, ovate leaves and white-yellow or white flowers. The shrub is endemic to China and found in mountain forests and thickets of N Guangdong, Guizhou, W Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, E Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan provinces.