Carpinus chowii Hu; C. tuczaninowii var. chungnanensis P. C. Kuo.

Trees 10-15 m tall; bark dark gray. Branchlets gray-brown, slender, pubescent when young, glabrescent. Petiole 4-10 mm, sparsely pubescent; leaf blade ovate, broadly ovate, ovate-elliptic, or ovate-rhombic, rarely ovate-lanceolate, 2-6 × 1.3-4 cm, abaxially sparsely villous along veins, bearded in axils of lateral veins, adaxially glabrous or sparsely villous along midvein, base subrounded or broadly cuneate, rarely subcordate or cuneate, margin regularly or irregularly doubly serrate, rarely simply serrate, apex acute or acuminate; lateral veins 8-12 on each side of midvein. Female inflorescence 3-6 cm; bracts semiovate, semioblong, or broadly semiovate, 6-20 × 4-10 mm, sparsely pubescent, outer margin irregularly incised-dentate, sometimes lobulate, without basal lobe, inner margin entire or remotely minutely dentate, with ovate, inflexed basal lobe 2-3 mm, apex acute, acuminate, or obtuse; veins 5, reticulate veins prominent. Nutlet broadly ovoid, ca. 3 × 2 mm, glabrous except sparsely villous at apex, resinous glandular, prominently ribbed. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Jul-Sep.

The wood is very hard, dense, close grained, and fine textured, and is used for making agricultural tools and furniture.

Temperate forests; 500-2400 m. Beijing Shi (Jinshan), S Gansu, Henan, Jiangsu, S Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong [Japan, Korea]