Trees 8-15 m tall; branchlets, petioles, leaf blades abaxially, and rachis of inflorescences rusty pilose. Petiole 1-1.5 cm; leaf blade oblong to lanceolate, 8-16 × 2-4 cm, rigidly papery, abaxially with appressed hairs and waxy scalelike trichomes, base cuneate, margin entire or rarely ± undulate on apical part, apex narrowly acuminate; secondary veins 11-14 on each side of midvein; tertiary veins abaxially not visible. Male inflorescences 3-many in a panicle, rarely solitary. Female inflorescence with cupules in clusters of ca. 3. Infructescences 8-12 cm; rachis 4-5 mm thick. Cupule globose, depressed globose, or pear-shaped, 2.6-3.2 cm in diam., completely enclosing nut or sometimes 3/4 of nut, wall to 2 mm thick near base; bracts imbricate, triangular, appressed, with lanceolate, ± lax scalelike trichomes. Nut depressed globose to subglobose, 2-2.5 cm in diam., glabrous; scar 1.4-2 cm in diam., concave. Fl. Aug-Sep, fr. Oct-Nov of following year.

Very close to Lithocarpus echinophorus, and additional work is needed.

Mixed mesophytic forests; 500-1200 m. S Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, S Guizhou, S Hunan, S Jiangxi [Vietnam]