Trees to 25 m tall; trunk to 1 m d.b.h.; bark gray-brown, rough, longitudinally splitting; crown pyramidal; branchlets initially red-brown or brown, then darkened in 2nd or 3rd year, glabrous, rarely pubescent when young; winter buds globose, resinous. Leaves spirally arranged, radially spreading ± forward or pectinately arranged in 2 lateral sets, bright dark green, linear, often curved or "S"-shaped, flattened, 1.5-3 cm × 1.7-2.5 mm, stomatal lines in 2 white bands abaxially, resin canals 2, marginal, margin strongly revolute, apex emarginate. Seed cones shortly pedunculate, black at maturity, glaucous, cylindric or ovoid-cylindric, 6-11 × 3-4 cm. Seed scales flabellate-trapeziform, 1.3-1.5 × 1.4-1.8 cm. Bracts exserted, oblong-spatulate, apex with a narrow, usually recurved cusp 3-5 mm. Seeds obovate; wing brown, cuneate-dolabriform. Pollination May, seed maturity Oct.
Mixed forests in mountainous areas, most commonly on north-facing slopes, favouring grey-brown mountain podzols; at elevations from 2,000-4,300 metres, but mainly at 3,000-4,000 metres.
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