皱纹柳 zhou wen liu

Shrubs to 1 m tall. Branchlets erect or ascending, chestnut brown, slightly thick, glabrous, shiny. Buds brown, ovoid, sparsely tomentose. Petiole ca. 5 mm, notched adaxially, glabrous; leaf blade elliptic, ovoid, or obovoid, 4-5 × 1-2 cm, densely long white pubescent, adaxially fresh green, wrinkled, base rounded or broadly cuneate, margin entire or remotely crenate, apex obtuse; veins raised abaxially, impressed adaxially.

Flowering nearly coetaneous or serotinous. Catkins 1-2 cm × 3-4 mm; bracts brown or brownish red, subobovate, ciliate, apex obtuse. Male flower: stamens 2, free, downy at base; anthers yellow, ovoid. Fruiting catkin to 4 cm. Female flower: adaxial gland 2-lobed, ca. 1 mm; ovary long ovoid, tomentose, stipitate; style nearly absent; stigma 2-parted, yellowish brown. Capsule yellowish brown, ovoid, 3-5 mm, downy. Fl. Jun, fr. Jul-Aug. 2n = 38.

Woods; 1900-2000 m. Xinjiang (Altay Shan, Burqin Xian) [Mongolia, Russia (S Siberia); N North America]