Trees to 40 m tall; bark dark gray or red-brown, rough, irregularly fissured, flaking; branchlets initially yellow or yellowish gray, yellowish gray or gray in 2nd or 3rd year. Leaves radially spreading, ± pectinately arranged, strongly ascending or recurved on upper side of branchlets, especially on cone-bearing branchlets, bright green adaxially, slightly glaucous abaxially, oblanceolate-linear, (1-)1.2-1.6(-2.5) cm × 2.5-3.5 mm, stomatal lines in 2 grayish green bands abaxially, usually 2-8 and incomplete adaxially, resin canals 2, marginal, apex acute or obtuse. Seed cones subsessile, purple, maturing brown-purple, ellipsoid-ovoid or cylindric-ovoid, 4-8 × 3-4 cm. Seed scales at middle of cones reniform, broadly flabellate- or rhombic-elliptic, 1.2-1.4 × 1.2-2.5 cm, margin sometimes auriculate at base, constricted at middle, thin, broadly rounded, and slightly incurved toward apex. Bracts oblong-spatulate, constricted at middle, 1/2-3/4 as long as seed scales, distal margin denticulate, apex broadly rounded, with an acute, short cusp. Seeds obliquely ovoid, ca. 8 mm; wing dark brown or black, 3-5 mm, cuneate-oblong, apex truncate.

The timber is hard and used for construction, furniture, and wood pulp.

* River basins, mountains; 2300-3600 m. S Gansu, N Sichuan