Trees; young shoots and rachis of inflorescences yellowish brown to reddish brown puberulent and with early glabrescent, very thick, small, lamellate, waxy scalelike trichomes. Petiole ca. 4-12 mm; leaf blade elliptic, oblong-orbicular, or sometimes oblanceolate, 5-10 × 1.5-3.5(-5) cm, leathery, brittle, margin and midvein pilose when young, base shortly attenuate to broadly cuneate and usually symmetric but sometimes slightly asymmetric, margin entire or apically sparsely serrulate, apex mucronate to acuminate; midvein adaxially prominently impressed; secondary veins 12-16 on each side of midvein. Female inflorescences 5-10 cm. Infructescences 4-8 cm; rachis 4-6 mm thick. Cupule globose, 5-6 cm in diam., splitting into 4 regular segments, wall 2-4 mm thick; bracts spinelike, entirely covering cupule, 1-2 cm, puberulent, base connate into bundles. Nut 1 per cupule, ± conical, ca. 1 × 1.4 cm, densely pubescent; scar covering ca. 1/3 but no more than 1/2 of nut. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Sep-Oct of following year.