Sturdy tree with a broad, round to fan-shaped crown. The trunk often has low branching and the half-open crown is formed by several heavy boughs. The young twigs are glossy brown and covered in dense woolly hair in the first season. The mature bark is brown to grey-green and peels off in thin, flat plates. The ovate to elongated leaf has a sharply serrated margin so the lateral veins terminate as a small thread-like point. Closely resembles Z. serrata but this has 8 to 14 lateral veins per leaf whereas Z. sinica has 7 to 12 lateral veins per leaf. The leaf is glossy green and turns brownish yellow in autumn. The tree blossoms with inconspicuous green flowers that appear in May, after the leaf development. They are followed by small obovate fruits.
Zelkova sinica môže dorastať do výšky 15 - 18 m v závislosti od podmienok stanovišťa a klímy.
Zelkova sinica rastie priemerne rastúci a môže dorastať do výšky 15 - 18 m v závislosti od podmienok stanovišťa a klímy.
Listy stromu Zelkova sinica sa na jeseň sfarbia do žltá."
Správny čas na výsadbu stromu je mimo vegetačné obdobie. V strednej Európe môže byť Zelkova sinica so zemným balom vysadený od polovice novembra do konca apríla, avšak závisí to veľmi od klimatických podmienok a druhu stromu.