The Dragon Spruce is native to western China. The shoots are orange-brown, with scattered pubescence. The cones are cylindric-conic, 6-15 cm long and 2-3 cm broad, maturing pale brown 5-7 months after pollination, and have stiff, rounded to bluntly pointed scales. It is a variable species with several varieties listed. These were mostly first described as distinct species (and are still so treated by some authors), though they differ only in minor details and some may not prove to be distinct at all if a larger population is examined.