Acer fabri var. dolichophyllum W. P. Fang & S. Y. Liang; A. fabri var. gracillimum W. P. Fang; A. fabri var. megalocarpum Hu & W. C. Cheng; A. fabri f. rubrocarpum (F. P. Metcalf) Rehder; A. fabri var. rubrocarpum F. P. Metcalf; A. fabri var. tongguense Z. X. Yu; A. fabri var. virescens W. P. Fang; A. fargesii Veitch ex Rehder; A. laevigatum Wallich var. fargesii (Rehder) Veitch; A. prainii H. Léveillé.

Trees small, usually ca. 1 m tall, andromonoecious. Bark brownish gray. Branchlets slender, glabrous. Leaves persistent; petiole 1-1.5 cm, slender, glabrous; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, oblong, lanceolate, oblong-oblanceolate, or elliptic, 4-11 × 2-3.5 cm, leathery, abaxially glabrous, rarely with tufts of hairs at vein axils, adaxially glabrous, midvein raised, lateral veins 4 or 5 pairs, base acuminate or obtuse, undivided, margin entire, apex acuminate or shortly acuminate. Inflorescence erect, paniculate, glabrous or pubescent. Sepals 5, oblong, slightly pubescent. Petals 5, purple, obovate, shorter than sepals. Stamens 8, glabrous. Ovary glabrous. Fruiting pedicel 1-1.5 cm, slender, pubescent or glabrous. Fruit brownish yellow when mature; nutlets convex, ca. 5 mm in diam.; wing red, including nutlet 2.5-4.8 cm × 8-10 mm, wings spreading obtusely. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. Sep.

Mixed forests, valleys; 500-2000 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan [Vietnam].