Carpinus pubescens

[Chinese] hornbeam is a member of the birch or Betulaceae family and is native to China (provinces of: Guizhou, Shaanxi, southern Sichuan, eastern Yunnan), and north Vietnam. It grows to over 17 m tall.

• Bark is brown-gray; branchlets are dark brown, sparsely villous or glabrescent.
• Leaves are deciduous, simple, oblong or oblong-ovate, 5–10 cm long and 2–3.5 cm across, glossy above, downy on the veins beneath, doubly serrate; petioles are villous or tomentose, up to 1 cm long.
• Female inflorescence is 5–7 cm long and 1–2.5 cm broad; peduncle 2–3 cm, sparsely villous or glabrous; bracts are semiovate, 1–2.5 cm long; flowering is in May-June.