Trees or shrubs to 20 m tall; trunk to 1 m d.b.h.; bark dark gray, pale brown, or grayish brown, irregularly vertically fissured, sometimes flaking. Leafy branchlets oblong to elliptic-oblong in outline, 5-13 × 3-7.5 cm, axis green in 1st year, thereafter yellowish. Leaves borne at 55-80° to branchlet axis; petiole 0.5-1 mm; blade shining green adaxially, linear to linear-lanceolate, straight or distally falcate, 1.2-3.6(-4) cm × 2-4 mm, with 2 longitudinal grooves, midvein indistinct adaxially, 0.3-0.6 mm wide abaxially, stomatal bands light brown, (0.15-)0.2-0.3 mm wide, marginal bands 0.5-1.2 mm wide, base broadly cuneate, ± asymmetric, margin flat or very narrowly revolute, apex usually shortly and symmetrically tapered, cuspidate, cusp 0.3-1 mm. Pollen cones pale yellow, ovoid, ca. 5-6 × 4.5-5 mm; bracts in 4-12 pairs in 4 rows, longitudinally ridged. Aril pale green or slightly white powdery, with small apical mucro. Seed ovoid to globose or broadly ellipsoid, 1.5-2.5 cm in diam.; inner wall of seed coat smooth or with 2 opposite longitudinal ridges; female gametophyte tissue conspicuously and deeply ruminate internally. Pollination Apr-May, seed maturity Sep-Oct of 2nd year.

Suitable for afforestation and reforestation. The high quality timber is used in constructing houses, bridges, and furniture, and making implements and utensils; an oil is extracted from the seed.

* Coniferous, mixed, and broad-leaved forests; 1000-3400 m. ?S Anhui, W Hubei, NW Hunan, Jiangxi, S Shaanxi, Sichuan, NW Yunnan