Widespreading tree to c. 15 m high. Shoots with glandular hairs; lf scars not prominent. Buds brown-tomentulose. Lvs to c. 60 cm long; petiole and rachis to c. 40 cm long, densely clothed in glandular hairs. Leaflets 9-17, sessile or nearly so, becoming glabrous or nearly so above, densely hairy with simple and stellate hairs on the veins beneath and midrib glandular, serrulate with teeth often sparse; base obliquely truncate or subcordate; apex acute to acuminate; lowest pair of leaflets often smaller; terminal leaflet mostly of similar size to lateral leaflets. Lamina of terminal leaflet 6-18 × 3-8 cm, oblong or oblong-ovate. ♂ catkins to c. 15 cm long, with glandular hairs. ♀ catkins 9-22-flowered, ± tomentose with purplish glandular hairs; stigmas 6-7 mm long, prominent, pink. Fr. 2.5-4 cm long, broad-ovoid, beaked, viscid, tomentose, ferrugineus. Shell rugose, thick, ± subcordate at base; sutures thick and raised, dividing with difficulty; beak often sharply acute. Seed convoluted.
Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs stratification.