xanthoderma was identified by Melville and Heybroek after the latter's expedition to the Himalaya in 1960.

[2] A deciduous tree growing to 30 m with a crown comprising several ascending branches.

The bark of the trunk is pale grey, coarsely furrowed longitudinally.

The samarae are orbicular to obovate, with a few glandular hairs; the seed central.

[1][2] The tree has a high resistance to the fungus Ophiostoma himal-ulmi endemic to the Himalaya and the cause of Dutch elm disease there.