Trees 5-8 m tall; branches, bud scales, and rachis of inflorescences glabrous. Petiole 1-2 cm; leaf blade lanceolate to ovate, (3-)5-9(-12) × (1.2-)2-3.5(-6) cm, leathery, abaxially with thin greenish layers of adnate scalelike trichomes when young, concolorous with age, base rounded to acute, margin with shallow to deep teeth, apex acuminate to rarely acute; midvein at least from base to middle adaxially raised to rarely slightly impressed; secondary veins 6-10 on each side of midvein, adaxially raised. Female inflorescences 3-8 cm. Infructescences 4-5 cm, with 1-6 fruit; rachis 1-1.5 mm thick. Cupule subglobose, 1.5-2 cm in diam., completely enclosing nut, irregularly splitting into 3 or 4 segments, outside sparsely pubescent and with small, lamellate, waxy scalelike trichomes, basally without bracts, wall 1-2 mm thick; bracts spinelike, scattered, free or a few in bundles, 2-4 mm. Nut subglobose, 1.3-1.4 cm in diam., puberulent; scar basal, 1-1.2 cm in diam. Fl. Jul-Aug, fr. Oct-Dec of following year.