Trees deciduous, to 30 m tall. Young branchlets yellow-brown tomentose, old ones glabrous, becoming red-brown after drying, small lenticellate. Stipules less than 1 cm; petiole terete, 3–8 cm, tomentose; leaf blade broadly ovate, 9–18 × 8–16 cm, deeply (3 or)5- or 7-lobed, both surfaces gray-yellow pubescent at first, glabrate and then pubescent only along veins abaxially, principal veins 3 or 5, arising from base, base shallowly cordate or subtruncate; central lobe 7–9 × 4–6 cm, margin lobed; lateral lobes shorter, margin coarsely dentate. Flowers 4-merous. Male flowers: sepals short, small; stamens much longer than petals; filaments very short; anthers elongate. Female flowers: sepals pubescent; petals oblanceolate; carpels 4; styles elongate, apex crispate. Fruiting branchlets with (2 or)3–5 infructescences. Infructescence capitate, 2–2.5 cm in diam. Achenes with persistent style spiniform, 3–4 mm; basal hairs yellow; both styles and hairs exserted from infructescence. Fl. Mar–May, fr. Jun–Oct.

Cultivated in China [native to SW Asia and SE Europe].