A small to medium tree. Leaves alternate, long pointed, with toothed margins and three prominent veins; lower surface white velvety. Flowers small, greenish- yellow, in thin pendulous spikes 5-15 cm long.
It is not frost-hardy.
It grows in Nepal from 300 to 1700 m, and is most common in the higher elevation Shorea robusta forests, and in Alnus nepalensis forests at about 1500 m. It is found naturally on dry slopes, and often accompanies A. nepalensis in colonizing landslips.
The seed ripens between October and January, and is said to be viable for 3-4 months. It is light and about 1 mm long.
Different nurseries have produced from 2000 to 80,000 plants kg-1 of seed. In the nursery the techniques for small-seeded species should be used. At about 1500 m sowing in September to October would appear to be the best time, but more information is needed. It can also be propagated from cuttings.
There have only been a few trials. In a two-year-old trial at Murtidhunga, near Pokhara, above 1500 m, survival was 72 per cent, and mean height 36 cm; it failed at Salle at over 2000 m. These results indicate that it is not very good at higher altitudes. In India, in natural forest, its growth is fast, with a diameter increment of between 1.0 and 2.5 cm yr-1 (Gamble, 1922).
It is a good fodder, of considerable importance locally. It can be lopped more than once a year. The leaves fall between mid-March and mid-May, and flush mostly from mid-April to mid-June. In southern Lalitpur District it is one of the fodders most widely used by farmers especially in February, but its importance elsewhere varies a good deal. The crude protein content of the leaves is about 8 per cent of the dry matter (D. Bajracharya et al., 1985). The wood is valued for making containers for milk and other materials; its specific gravity is about 0.65. It is worth trialing on a wider scale in Nepal, particularly at altitudes of between 1000 and 1500 m.