Trees deciduous, to 40 m tall. Young branchlets yellow-brown tomentose. Stipules 2–3 cm, bugle-shaped, deciduous; petiole 4–7 cm, densely tomentose; leaf blade broadly ovate, 8–20 × 10–22 cm, 3(or 5)-lobed, gray-yellow tomentose on both surfaces at first, soon glabrate and then pubescent only along veins abaxially, principal veins 3, lateral 2 arising from midvein ca. 1 cm above base, base broadly cordate, truncate, or subcuneate; lobes shortly triangular, margin coarsely numerous dentate. Flowers 4–6-merous. Male flowers: sepals and petals short, small; filaments very short; anthers peltate, elongate; connective glabrous. Female flowers: long tomentose at base; sepals short, small; petals 4–5 × as long as sepals; carpels 4–6; styles elongate, longer than petals. Fruiting branchlets with 1(or 2) infructescences. Infructescence globose, ca. 3 cm in diam. Achenes obtuse at apex, with persistent style very short; basal hairs ca. 1/2 as long as achene, not exserted from infructescence. Fl. Mar–May, fr. Jun–Oct.

Cultivated in C and N China [native to North America].