A narrowly conical tree 12-30 m tall, 10-30(100) cm dbh, with a spire-like crown and with short, slightly drooping branchlets. Bark light red-brown, thin, smooth, with age becoming slightly fissured and broken into appressed scales. Branches diverging from trunk at right angles, the lower often drooping in age. Buds exposed, ovate to fusiform, pale yellowish-brown, sharp-pointed, 10-20 mm long, not resinous, apex pointed; basal scales short, broad, equilaterally triangular, glabrous, not resinous, margins entire, apex sharp-pointed. Needles 2-ranked to spiraled, flattened, stiff, with raised abaxial vein, pointing forwards, distinctly parted, shiny dark green above, (25)35-55(60)mm long by 2.5-3 mm wide, with 2 broad white bands below with with 8-10 stomatal rows on each side of midrib; odor pungent; base twisted; apex long-spined; cross section flat-convex; resin canals small, near margins and abaxial epidermal layer. Staminate cones at pollination pale yellow to yellow-green, 5-7 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. Ovulate cone ovoid, resinous, (6)7-10(14) cm long by 4-5.5cm wide, violet-brown to purple-brown, borne on stout peduncles; scales ca. 1.5-2 × 2-2.5 cm, glabrous, thin, rounded, finely serrulate; bracts long exserted, not reflexed, trilobed, yellowish-brown, extending 4-5 cm beyond the scales, resinous. Seeds shiny, deep red-brown, 5 mm long, wing 8-11 mm long.