Trees; bud scales, young shoots, petioles, leaf blades abaxially, and rachis of inflorescences densely covered with brown to reddish brown, slightly rough long tomentum. Petiole 1-3(-5) mm, usually tapering toward apex; leaf blade oblong, lanceolate, or oblanceolate-oblong, 9-18 × 3-7 cm, leathery, abaxially reddish brown when young but grayish brown to grayish with age, base cordate, shallowly auriculate, or rarely rounded, margin entire and revolute, apex acute, mucronate, or rarely rounded; midvein adaxially prominently impressed; secondary veins 14-18 on each side of midvein or fewer. Infructescences dense, 6-12 cm. Cupule 5-6 cm in diam., splitting into 4(or 5) regular segments, wall 3-4 mm thick; bracts spinelike, entirely covering cupule, 1-2 cm, pubescent, base connate into many bundles. Nut 1 per cupule, ± conical, 1.2-1.5 × 1.5-2 cm, densely pubescent; scar covering ca. 1/3 of nut. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. Sep-Oct of following year.

* Broad-leaved evergreen forests; below 1200 m. S Fujian, Guangdong, SE Guangxi, S Hunan, S Jiangxi, S Zhejiang