Shrubs or trees, to 20 m tall, d.b.h. to 40 cm, deciduous. Bark gray to blackish gray, longitudinally fissured. Branchlets tan to red-brown, sometimes with corky wings, glabrous or sparsely pubescent when young, with scattered lenticels. Winter buds dark brown, sometimes hoary from pubescence, ovoid-orbicular to ± globose; bud scales ± pubescent, margin prominently long ciliate. Petiole 2-14 mm, pubescent; leaf blade broadly obovate, obovate-orbicular, obovate-rhombic, or obovate, 4-11 × 3.5-6 cm, leathery, margin obtusely doubly or simply serrate; secondary veins 6-16 on each side of midvein. Inflorescences fascicled cymes on second year branchlets or scattered at base of new branchlets. Flowers from floral buds or mixed buds. Perianth campanulate, 5-lobed, pubescent or not, margin ciliate. Samaras tan to light brown, rarely slightly orange-brown, broadly obovate-orbicular, ± orbicular, or broadly elliptic, 1.5-4.7 × 1-3.9 cm; perianth persistent. Seed at center of samara. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Apr-Jun.

Mixed forests, slopes, valleys; 700-1800 m. Anhui, Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, N Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, E Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi [Korea, Mongolia, Russia (Far East, E Siberia)].