Gordonia wallichii Candolle, Prodr. 1: 528. 1824; G. chilaunia Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don; Schima brevipes Craib.

Trees 10-15(-20) m tall. Young branches grayish brown, glabrous, densely white lenticellate; current year branchlets yellowish pubescent, longitudinally ribbed; terminal buds white velutinous. Petiole 1-2 cm, yellowish villous; leaf blade elliptic to broadly elliptic, 8-17.5 × 4-7.5 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green becoming brown when dry, sparsely prostrate pubescent, and spreading villous along midvein, adaxially dark green and glabrous, midvein abaxially raised and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 8-12 on each side of midvein, secondary and reticulate veins raised on both surfaces, base broadly cuneate, margin entire, apex bluntly acute. Flowers axillary, solitary or to 3 in a cluster, white, fragrant, 3-4 cm in diam. Pedicel 1-1.5 cm, gray pubescent, white lenticellate; bracteoles 2, caducous. Sepals lunate to semiorbicular, 1.5-2 × 3-3.5 mm, outside basally glabrous or puberulent, margin ciliolate. Petals white, broadly obovate, 1.5-2 × ca. 1.5 cm, outside basally puberulent, apex rounded. Stamens 8-10 mm; filaments basally adnate with petals. Ovary globose, yellowish tomentose but apically glabrous; style ca. 7 mm, glabrous; stigma 5, capitate. Capsule brown, subglobose, 1.5-2 cm in diam., 5-loculed with 2 seeds per locule; pericarp woody, splitting into 5 valves, white lenticellate. Seeds reniform, together with wing 8-10 × 5-10 mm. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Nov-Dec. 2n = 36.

Forests; (300-)800-1800(-2700) m. S Guangxi, S Guizhou, SE Xizang, S Yunnan [Bhutan, N India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam].