Trees, lofty, ca. 35 m tall. Bark gray or dark brown, shallowly longitudinally fissured and flaky. Branchlets glabrescent; leaf buds falcate, buds and young twigs densely gray puberulous. Stipules 2-6 cm, densely, shortly dark grayish or dark yellow puberulous; petiole 2-3 cm, densely gray puberulous or glabrescent; leaf blade ovate-oblong, 20-30 × 8-13 cm, leathery, glabrous or sparsely stellate pubescent, lateral veins 15-20 pairs conspicuously raised abaxially, base rounded or somewhat cordate, margin entire or sometimes sinuate, apex acuminate or acute.

Racemes axillary, 3-6-flowered. Calyx segments: 2 linear, 3 shorter, all glabrous, outside glaucous. Stamens ca. 30; anthers linear-lanceolate; connective appendages filiform. Ovary densely pubescent; style terete, silvery gray tomentose on the lower half. Nut ovoid or narrowly ovoid, densely appressed tomentose; calyx tube to 2.8 cm in diam., glabrous, glaucous; winglike calyx segments linear-lanceolate, 12-15 × ca. 3 cm, glabrous, minutely papillate near much-ramified solitary midvein. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. Jun-Jul.