Trees to 20 m tall; trunk to 1.5 m d.b.h. Branches stout, dull purplish brown, slightly angled; juvenile branchlets densely downy. Leaves of short branchlets with petiole terete, ca. 6 cm, pubescent; leaf blade ovate to broadly ovate, 7-14 × 4-10 cm, both surfaces with raised veins and hairs, abaxially pale, adaxially dull green, base cordate or rounded, margin crenate-serrulate, ciliate, apex acuminate or long acuminate. Fruiting catkin 8-16 cm; rachis downy. Capsule globose-ovate, densely tomentose, rarely pilose, 4-valved, sessile or shortly stipitate.

Similar to Populus szechuanica but branchlets, petiole, leaf veins, catkin rachis, and capsule pubescent. Similar also to P. szechuanica var. tibetica but capsule densely tomentose.

* Along rivers; 2000-3900 m. Sichuan