The Gymnosperm Database describes this as: A conical tree 35-65 m tall, 150-200 cm dbh, with a cylindrical trunk. First order branches massive, short, sparse; second order branches spreading, assurgent, or pendant below. Crown narrowly pyramidal or conical. Bark smooth, grey, finely flaky on young trees, becoming grey-brown, scaly, and fissured on old trees. Branchlets smooth, shallowly grooved, slightly pubescent in the grooves; reddish brown, purplish or 'mahogany' (variable); glabrous or minutely pubescent in grooves of first year shoots; leaf scars circular. Vegetative buds ovoid to broadly obtuse, resinous, keeled, 6-8 mm long and 4-5 mm wide, slightly resinous; purple-red; bud scales triangular-ovate, yellowish-brown, persisting for several years. Leaves spirally arranged, crowded in several overlapping ranks of unequal length, the lower leaves pectinate, on coning shoots assurgent, (1-)1.5-3(-4.5) cm long × 2-3.5 mm wide, twisted at base, ligulate-linear or linear, flat or margins slightly revolute, apex emarginate or bifid, obtuse or acute on cone-bearing shoots; stomata below in two bands divided by a midrib; shining green above, whitish- or glaucous-green below; resin canals 2, medial, large. Male cones yellow with red microsporophylls, cylindrical, 13 mm long by 5 mm wide, crowded, axillary near shoot apex. Female cone bluish-purple, maturing to purplish- or reddish-brown, apex obtuse or umbilicate, ovoid-oblong or broadly cylindric, 5-9 × 3-4 cm, peduncles very short. Seed scales cuneate-flabellate, 8-12 mm long × 15-20 mm wide (at mid-cone), smooth, puberulent; upper margin rounded, entire; base pedicellate; bract hidden or slightly exserted and reflexed, bract scales: obovate-cuneate, 1-1.5 cm long. Seeds oblong, black, 5-6 × 3-3.5 mm, to 15 mm long with the black, cuneate, oblique wing (Silba 1986, Farjon 1990).