Tree up to 25 m tall. Young leaves and shoots tomentose; tomentum deciduous, stellate, each hair 7-10 rayed with one long central hair. Leaves 5-7-lobed, 8-24 cm long, 12-30 cm broad; lobes coarsely toothed, glabrous; petiole 3-5 cm long. Stipules 2, c. 2 cm long, connate and tubular below; stipular tube membranous on the young shoots with a short limb and simple brown bristles; tomentose and leafy above on the older shoots. Male capitula sub-sessile, 2-3 on a peduncle, globose, 4-5 mm in diameter; peduncle c. 2 cm long. Perianth lobes free, c. 1 mm long, oblong, glabrous. Stamens 3-8, free, anthers oblong, 2.5 mm long; adnate to the connective; connective peltate with bristles at the apex. Female capitula sessile, 2-5 on a peduncle, globose, 1-1.5 cm in diameter; peduncle 7-11 cm long. Perianth lobes c. 2 mm long, spathulate with long jointed hair at the apex. Car¬pels 3-8, free; ovary linear, 1 mm long, covered with long jointed hairs, style 5-6 mm long, uncinate, persistant. Capitula of achenes 2-3 cm broad; achene c. 8 mm long, obpyramidal with long, jointed, yellow hair at the base ; style persistant.

Fl. Per. April-May.

Type locality: “Habitat in Asia, Tauro, Macedonia, Atho, Lemno, Greta.”.

Distribution: S.E. Europe to Turkey, N. Iran, Central and W. Asia, Afgha¬nistan, India and Pakistan.

The wood is not valuable but is used in some places for making guncarriages, small painted boxes and for cabinet work and paneling. The bark is medicinal.

The flowers are described here as complete with perianth and 3-8 stamens or pistils, showing affinity with the Hamamelidaceae and Rosaceae. Another interpretation of their structure is that each flower is apetalous and consists of a single stamen or pistil, subtended by a scale, thus showing closer affinity with the Urticaceae.