Trees to 50 m tall; branchlets yellowish gray or brownish yellow, glabrous or puberulent; winter buds conical, resinous, Leaves ± pectinately arranged in 2 lateral sets, dark green adaxially, linear, flattened, 1.5-4.8 cm, stomatal lines in 2 white bands abaxially, resin canals 2, marginal or median on cone-bearing branchlets, apex 2-cleft acute or obtuse on cone-bearing branchlets. Seed cones subsessile, green, ripening brown, cylindric or ovoid-cylindric, 7-10 × 3-4 cm. Seed scales at middle of cones reniform, ca. 1.5 × 2.5 cm, exposed part densely pubescent abaxially. Bracts included, ligulate, ca. 3/4 as long as seed scales, distal margin erose-denticulate, apex with short cusp. Seeds obtriangular-ellipsoid, ca. 8 mm; wing cuneate, ca. 5 mm.

A vulnerable species. The timber is light in weight, soft, fine grained, and used for construction.

* Mountains; 2300-3000 m. S Gansu, SW Henan (Neixiang Xian), W Hubei, S Shaanxi, W Sichuan