China Flora: Tree, up to 30 meters tall, 1.4 meters in diameter at breast height; bark dark reddish brown, flaking off. Young branches densely covered with resin glands and pubescence. Leaves ovate, ovate-elliptical or oblong, 4-9 cm long, with short tail or acuminate tip, rounded or nearly cordate base, densely covered with long pubescence when young on the upper side, densely covered with resin glandular dots and pubescence on the lower side, with irregular cusp-serrate teeth, 8-14 pairs of lateral veins: petiole 0.8-2 cm long, nearly glabrous, female inflorescence solitary or 2-4 in racemes, oblong or oblong-cylindrical, 3-5 cm long, peduncle 0.5-1.5 cm long; bracts sparsely covered with pubescence, middle lobe lanceolate, lateral lobes ovate, spreading, 1/3 as long as the middle lobe. Nutlets obovate, 2-3 mm long, membranous wings nearly as wide as the fruit. Flowering May-June, fruiting July-August.

It is produced in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Hebei, Gansu, southern Ningxia, Qinghai, Sichuan, northwest Yunnan, Tibet and Hubei. It grows in forests at an altitude of 2500-3800 meters. It is distributed in Afghanistan, northern India and Bhutan. The material is tough and used for construction, utensils, etc.; tannin extract can be extracted from the bark.

[translated from Higher Plants of China]