Cryptocarya laui Merrill & F. P. Metcalf; C. merrilliana C. K. Allen.

Small trees, up to 12 m tall, to 20 cm d.b.h. Old branchlets gray-brown, glabrous, sparsely oblong-lenticellate, striate; young branchlets densely gray-yellow pubescent. Leaves alternate; petiole 5-10 mm, concave-convex, densely gray-yellow pubescent when young; leaf blade glaucous green and opaque abaxially, olive-green and opaque or shiny adaxially, oblong, elliptic-oblong, very rarely obovate, 6-13 × 2.5-5 cm, leathery, gray-yellow appressed sericeous-pubescent on both surfaces, hairs slightly longer along midrib and lateral veins abaxially, midrib very elevated abaxially, impressed adaxially, lateral veins 5 or 6 pairs, conspicuous abaxially, slightly impressed adaxially, slightly arcuate and evanescent within leaf margin, transverse veins and veinlets reticulate, ± conspicuous abaxially, inconspicuous adaxially, base cuneate, apex abruptly acuminate, sometimes obtuse or emarginate. Panicles axillary and terminal, (3-)3.5-6 cm, ± lax, densely gray-yellow sericeous-pubescent on all parts; peduncles 2-3 mm. Perianth densely sericeous-pubescent outside but sparsely so inside; perianth tube turbinate, ca. 1.5 mm; perianth lobes ovate, ca. 1.5 mm, acute. Fertile stamens 9, less than 1.5 mm; filaments as long as anthers, those of 3rd whorl each with 2 stalked glands at base, others glandless; anthers 2-celled; cells of 1st and 2nd whorls introrse, those of 3rd whorl extrorse. Staminodes narrowly sagittate-triangular, stalked. Ovary clavate, including filiform style ca. 1.5 mm; stigma inconspicuous. Fruit greenish when young and dirty red when mature, ellipsoid, ca. 17 × 10 mm, glabrous, 12-angulate. Fl. Jun-Oct, fr. Sep-Mar of next year.

The wood is heavy and durable and is used for making furniture. A viscid liquid extracted from wood pieces in water is used to paste hairs together. The leafy branchlets contain essential oil.

Evergreen broad-leaved forests; 300-800 m (but higher in Hainan). Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang [N Vietnam].