Betula acuminata Wallich var. pyrifolia Franchet; B. alnoides Buchanan-Hamilton var. pyrifolia (Franchet) Burkill; B. baeumkeri H. Winkler; B. cylindrostachya Lindley var. resinosa Diels; B. hupehensis C. K. Schneider; B. luminifera var. baeumderi (H. Winkler) P. C. Kuo.

Trees to 25 m tall; bark dark brown, smooth. Branchlets yellow-brown, densely yellow pubescent, sparsely resinous glandular, glabrescent. Petiole 1-2 cm, densely villous and resinous punctate; leaf blade oblong, broadly oblong, or oblong-lanceolate, rarely elliptic or ovate, 4.5-10 × 2.5-6 cm, abaxially densely resinous punctate, bearded in axils of lateral veins, adaxially densely pubescent when young, base rounded, subcordate, or broadly cuneate, margin irregularly and doubly setiform serrate, apex mucronate or caudate; lateral veins 12-14 on each side of midvein. Female inflorescence 1(-2), pendulous, narrowly cylindric, 3-9 cm × 6-10 mm; peduncle 1-2 mm, densely pubescent and resinous punctate; bracts 2-3 mm, sparsely pubescent and ciliolate, spongy at base, 3-lobed, middle lobe oblong or lanceolate, lateral lobes ± reduced, 1/4-1/3 as long as middle lobe. Nutlet obovate, ca. 2 mm, sparsely pubescent, with membranous wings 1-2 × as wide as nutlet. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jun-Aug.

The wood is hard, close grained, and fine textured, and is used for construction and making agricultural tools and furniture.

* Broad-leaved forests on sunny mountain slopes; 200-2900 m. Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, N Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang