Shrubs procumbent, to 3 cm tall; trunk creeping, russet, glabrous. Juvenile branchlets slightly erect, densely yellowish brown hispidulous-hirsute. Petiole present; leaf blade obovate-oblong or oblong or orbicular, 4-14 × 1.5-5 mm, abaxially grayish green, glabrous, adaxially green, glabrous, base cuneate, margin glandular serrate distally, entire proximally or throughout, apex acute or obtuse. Flowering coetaneous. Catkins terminal. Male catkin capitate, few flowered; rachis yellowish brown hispidulous; bracts yellowish green, ovate, ca. 1/2 as long as filaments, glabrous or sparsely ciliate, apex subacute. Male flower: glands 2, cylindric; stamens 2; filaments pilose proximally; anthers globose. Female catkin ellipsoid, with more flowers than male catkin; bracts ca. as long as ovary, glabrous, margin sometimes irregularly sinuolate, apex rounded or truncate. Female flower: gland adaxial; ovary long ovoid, glabrous, shortly stipitate; style very short, 2-cleft; stigma 2-lobed. Fl. Jun-Jul.

Similar to Salix oreophila but juvenile branchlets and catkin rachis yellowish brown, hispidulous; leaf blade shallowly dentate at margin, apex obtuse.

* Rock crevices; above 3500 m. NW Yunnan