- Narrow pyramidal crown with ascending branches
- Resinous buds are sticky and strongly aromatic
- Leaves are ovate: dark green on top, silver underneath
- Fall foliage is a bright yellow
- Dioecious: trees are either male or female, flowering before the leaves appear
- Male flowers have red stamens, females have reddish stigmas
- They also multiply by suckering, often producing stands of a single sex
