A shrub to about 7 ft high with arching branches, sparsely clad with prickles; flowering branchlets prickly, hairy towards the apex. Leaves typically ternate, but sometimes with five leaflets, which are deeply incised, almost glabrous above, white-tomentose beneath, the terminal leaflet ovate or slightly three-lobed, cordate at the base, 2 in. or slightly more long, lateral leaflets oblong. Flowers 1 in. or slightly more wide, in some shade of pink or purplish pink, borne singly or in twos along the lateral branchlets, on stalks [1/2] to 1[1/4] in. long. Petals obovate, about as long as the sepals. Carpels hispid. Fruits not seen.
This species was described from flowering specimens collected by Forrest in Yunnan in 1906, on the eastern flanks of the Tali and Lichiang ranges. In one of his specimens from the latter area, the flowering branchlets are clad with black glands, and this was distinguished by Focke as var. melanadenus.
R. subornatus was apparently not introduced until Yu sent seed under his number 13556, from the Haba Shan, Yunnan. A plant at Kew from this sending died, but a propagation from it given to Trengwainton, Cornwall, survived and from this the species has been re-established at Kew. This introduction has been identified as var. melanadenus.