Trees 10-15 m tall. Branches and glabrous. Petiole ca. 1.5 cm; leaf blade elliptic to sometimes obovate-elliptic, 11-13 × 3-5 cm, papery, concolorous, abaxially with early glabrescent stellate hairs, adaxially glabrous, base cuneate and decurrent on petiole, margin usually entire or rarely apically with 1-3 obtuse teeth, apex acuminate; secondary veins 16-18 on each side of midvein; tertiary veins abaxially conspicuous. Female inflorescence with cupules in clusters of 3(-5). Infructescences to 18 cm; rachis base 7-10 mm thick, scurfy. Cupule shallowly bowl-shaped, ca. 3 cm in diam., covering basal 1/4 of nut, wall ca. 1 mm thick and basally thickened; bracts imbricate, appressed, warty, grayish brown when dry. Nut slightly depressed globose, 2-2.5 × (3-)4.5 cm, glabrous, wall ca. 5 mm thick; scar concave but rarely with convex center, ca. 2 cm in diam. Fr. Aug-Oct.

Broad-leaved evergreen forests; 800-1000 m. SW Guangdong, SW Guangxi, SE Yunnan [NE Vietnam]