Trees to 30 m tall; trunk to 1 m d.b.h.; bark gray or dark brown; branchlets yellowish gray or yellow-brown, turning gray or gray-brown, shining, glabrous; winter buds ovoid, resinous. Leaves pectinately arranged in 2 lateral sets, ascending on upper side of cone-bearing branchlets, dark green and shining adaxially, linear, flattened, 2-4 cm × 1.5-2.5 mm, stomatal lines in 2 white bands abaxially, resin canals 2, median, apex acuminate or acute. Seed cones subsessile, yellowish brown at maturity, cylindric, 6-14 × 3.5-4 cm. Seed scales almost flabellate-trapeziform or obtriangular-flabellate, distal part thickened and broadly rounded, exposed part densely pubescent abaxially. Bracts cuneate-obovate, short, less than 1/2 as long as seed scales, apex with an acute cusp. Seeds obtriangular, 8-9 mm; wing ca. 1.5 cm, cuneate-oblong. Cotyledons 5 or 6. Pollination Apr-May, seed maturity Oct.
Forests in low to moderately high mountains, sometimes forming pure stands at higher elevations or the more northerly limits of its range; owing on lithosols of granitic origin; at elevations up to 1,500 metres in the south of its range.
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