Trees to 60 m tall; trunk to 2 m d.b.h.; bark dark gray, longitudinally flaking; crown conical; branchlets yellow, brownish yellow, or yellow-gray, turning gray or gray-brown in 2nd or 3rd year, initially glabrous or puberulent. Leaves ascending on upper side of branchlets, pectinately arranged in 2 lateral sets on lower side, bright green adaxially, linear, falcate or straight, 1-7 cm × 2-2.5 mm, stomatal lines in 2 light green or pale bands abaxially, rarely present adaxially when 2-4, incomplete, and almost to apex, resin canals 2, marginal, apex emarginate or acute. Seed cones initially green, yellowish green, or brownish green, brown-yellow or brown at maturity, cylindric or ovoid-cylindric, 4-14 × 3-3.5 cm. Seed scales at middle of cones broadly obtriangular- or trapeziform-flabellate, 1.7-3 × 2.2-3.5 cm, exposed part densely pubescent, margin strongly auriculate at base, constricted at middle, thin and incurved toward apex. Bracts included, 1/3-1/2 as long as seed scales, ridged adaxially, apex cuspidate. Seeds obliquely triangular, 7-9 mm; wing brown or purple-brown, 0.8-1.8 cm, margin denticulate. Pollination Apr-May, seed maturity Oct.

The timber is used for construction and paper.

* Mountains, mixed forests of Quercus and Pinus; 2500-3800 m. SW Gansu, W Hubei, N and W Sichuan, E Xizang, NW Yunnan