Large trees, up to 30 m or more; trunk straight. Buds densely gray-yellowish appressed villous. Branchlets usually slender, somewhat angular or subterete, gray-yellowish or gray-brown villous or pubescent. Petiole 1-2.2 cm, hairy; leaf blade elliptic, rarely lanceolate or oblanceolate, 7-11(-13) × 2.5-4 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially pubescent and villous at veins, adaxially shiny and glabrous or pubescent along lower part of midrib, midrib abaxially conspicuously raised, adaxially impressed into canal, lateral veins 8-13 pairs, obliquely extended, abaxially distinct, anastomosing near margin and gradually disappearing, veinlets abaxially slightly distinct or invisible. Cymose panicles very patent, branched above middle of peduncle, (6-)7.5-12 cm, lowest ramifications usually 2.5-4 cm, slender, hairy, each cyme with 3-6 flowers. Flowers and pedicel 3-4 mm. Perianth lobes subequal, 3-3.5 × 2-2.5 mm, outer ones ovate, inner ones ovate-oblong, apex obtuse, gray-yellow inside. Filaments subequal in length, hairy, those of 3rd series with sessile glands at base. Staminodes triangular, stipitate, hairy. Ovary glabrous or upper part together with style sparsely pubescent; stigma dish-shaped. Fruit ellipsoid, 1.1-1.4 cm × 6-7 mm; fruiting pedicel somewhat thickened; persistent perianth lobes ovate, leathery, pubescent on both surfaces or puberulent outside, clasping fruit. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Wild trees usually in mixed broad-leaved forests, also cultivated; below 1500 m. NW Guizhou, W Hubei, Sichuan.