Tree to 15-20 m tall. Leaves 3-5 lobed, lower surface often covered with soft hair; colouring deep red in autumn. Leaf stalk mostly 6-8 cm long, the base swollen. Flowers appear with the leaves and are inconspicuous; spring. Fruit about 2.5 cm wide with a stalk 2-3 cm long.

China, Taiwan

The variety monticola Rehder from mainland China is said to differ in having hairless branchlets, leaves with heart-shaped bases, smaller more thorny fruits and and fine autumn colourings. These characters are now regarded by botanists as unreliable and the distinction unwarranted. Horticulturists, however, may find these distinctions useful and variants are sometimes now referred to the Monticola Group.

An evergreen selection is sometimes offered.

Silk worms fed leaves of this species produce the silk 'Marvello Hair'.

Leaves 3-lobed.

NSW: Sydney (Royal Botanic Garden Sydney), Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah. ACT: Heritage Nursery Yarralumla . VIC: Castlemaine (Castlemaine Botanical Gardens); Emerald ('Tandale' House next to the old Nobelius Nursery site, about 10 m in 1983); Dandenongs (Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden, several around the lake); Jamieson (about 20 street trees planted c.1950 on N side of Cobham St); Melbourne (Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (Melbourne Gardens), bed above Bell Shed).

Source: Spencer, R. (1997). Hamamelidaceae. In: Spencer, R.. Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 2. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 1. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.