Trees to 12 m tall, evergreen. Branchlets slender, grayish brown pubescent, glabrescent, lenticellate; lenticels brownish, orbicular. Petiole 3-5 mm, brown tomentose; leaf blade narrowly ovate, 2-4 × 1.5-2.8 cm, thinly leathery, abaxially midvein densely with brown stellate hairs or glabrous, adaxially midvein basal portion sometimes stellate, base shallowly cordate, margin with spiniform teeth, apex acuminate; midvein and secondary veins adaxially inconspicuous. Cupule cupular, 5-7 mm × 1-1.3 cm, enclosing ca. 1/2 of nut; bracts ovate, ca. 1 mm, densely grayish brown pubescent except for apex. Nut narrowly ovoid, 1.4-1.8 × 0.8-1 cm, glabrous; scar ca. 3 mm in diam. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Nov-Dec of following year.

* Steep slopes and ridges on limestone; 400-1300 m. E Taiwan