Corylus heterophylla Fischer var. yunnanensis Franchet, J. Bot. (Morot) 13: 198. 1899.

Shrubs or small trees to 7 m tall; trunk to 10 cm d.b.h.; bark dark gray, fissured. Branchlets purplish brown or brown, densely tawny tomentose, stipitate glandular, glabrescent, with scattered, white lenticels. Petiole 7-12(-22) mm, densely tomentose, sparsely stipitate glandular; leaf blade ovate-orbicular to broadly ovate or obovate, 4-12 × 3-9 cm, papery, abaxially stipitate glandular when young, densely tomentose, adaxially sparsely pubescent especially along veins, base cordate, margin irregularly and doubly serrate, apex abruptly acuminate from suborbicular, apical portion of leaf; lateral veins 5-7 on each side of midvein. Male inflorescences 2 or 3 in a cluster, pendulous, cylindric, 2.5-3 cm; bracts ovate, densely gray tomentose. Female flowers 2 or 3 in a cluster; peduncle ca. 1 cm, tomentose; bracts campanulate, 1.3-2 cm, striate, densely yellow or gray tomentose, stipitate glandular, with triangular lobes. Nut ovoid-globose, 1.5-2 cm in diam., densely tomentose. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Jul-Sep.

The nuts are edible.

* Thickets on mountain slopes; 1600-3700 m. W Guizhou, Hubei, SW and W Sichuan, W Yunnan (Dali Xian)