Trees to 35 m tall; trunk to 1 m d.b.h.; bark gray-brown, scaly; branchlets initially yellowish brown, turning brown or brown-gray in 2nd or 3rd year, densely pubescent; winter buds globose, resinous. Leaves radially spreading or pectinately arranged in 2 lateral sets, bright green adaxially, linear, 1-2.8 cm × 1.5-2 mm, stomatal lines in 2 white bands abaxially, few and almost to apex adaxially, resin canals 2, marginal, apex slightly emarginate or obtuse. Seed cones subsessile, dark purple, ovoid or oblong-ovoid. Seed scales at middle of cones flabellate-trapeziform or-reniform, 1.5-2 × 2-2.5 cm. Bracts included, 1/2-3/5 as long as seed scales. Seeds 7-9 mm; wing ca. as long as seed.
Forests on montane slopes, sometimes in pure stands at elevations over 3,000 metres, growing in grey brown podzolized soils and also on mountain yellow earth, both acid and usually rocky; at elevations from 2,400-3,800 metres.
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