A deciduous tree, 60–80 ft. high; branchlets at first shortly grey-pubescent, soon glabrous; buds ovoid, glabrous, resinous. Leaves ovate or elliptic, sometimes ovate-lanceolate or suborbicular, acute or broadly rounded at the apex, cuneate to truncate at the base, coarsely and acutely few-toothed, 1 1/4–2 in. or rarely up to 3 1/2 in. long, usually 1–1 1/4 in. broad, pubescent when young, soon glabrous, coriaceous, somewhat glaucous, furnished with 2 glands at the base; petiole slender, 3/4–1 1/2 in. long, soon glabrescent; stipules linear-filiform, 1 1/2 lin. long, quickly deciduous. Male catkins arising from the previous year's branches, leafless at the base, 7 1/2–10 lin. long, 8–10-flowered; rhachis slender, somewhat pilose; bracts spathulate-cuneate, unequally toothed above, 1 1/2–2 lin. long, membranous, quickly deciduous; pedicels 1 lin. long. Disc membranous, deeply laciniate. Stamens about 30. Female catkins terminating short 1–3-leaved shoots arising from the previous year's branches, 3/4–1 in. long, 4–14-flowered, lax, at first pubescent on rhachis and pedicels, finally glabrous; bracts obovate or spathulate, toothed, up to 3 lin. long, membranous, deciduous; pedicels 1 1/2–2 lin. long. Disc 2–3-partite or divided into filiform segments. Ovary sessile on the disc, ovoid, 1 1/2–1 3/4 lin. long, densely grey-tomentose. Style 1/2– 3/4 lin. long. Stigmas up to 3 1/2 lin. long, deeply 2-fid; lobes 2–3-toothed or -lobed. Capsule ovoid, rounded at the base, subacute, 3–6 lin. long, verruculose, shortly pubescent, 2–4-valved.
