 The tree is distinguished by its conspicuously and numerously veined oval leathery leaves measuring to in length by to in width and with a petiole up to long.Augustine Henry described lines of the trees along the Cours-la-Reine in Rouen planted in 1649 by the Duc de Longueville; several of which were still alive in 1912, having attained a height of about .Henry also mentions specimens growing in botanical gardens at Le Mans and Bordeaux, and others growing as far south as Spizza (now Sutomore) in Dalmatia (Montenegro).