Trees. Juvenile branchlets silky villous, glabrescent. Buds subglobose or ovoid, glabrous. Stipules small, deciduous; petiole to 1.7 cm, at first pilose, glabrescent, usually with 1 gland at apex; leaf blade oblong, elliptic, obovate, or ovate, ca. 13 × 6 cm, abaxially light green, adaxially dark green, glabrous, villous along veins when young, glabrescent, base rounded to cuneate, margin glandular serrate, apex acute or shortly acuminate; lateral veins ca. 15 on each side of midvein. Catkins to 6 cm; peduncle 1-2 cm, with normal leaflets; rachis with loose hairs or glabrescent; bracts long elliptic, ca. 1.5 mm, sparsely villous, apex rounded. Male flower: adaxial gland nearly semiorbicular, sometimes 2-cleft, abaxial gland broadly ovate, smaller than adaxial gland; stamens 2, glabrous, distinct; anthers yellow. Fruiting catkin to 15 cm; bracts glabrous or subglabrous. Female flower: adaxial gland broadly ovate; ovary glabrous; stipe short; style short, 2-cleft; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule long ellipsoid-ovoid, ca. 4 mm. Fl. Apr, fr. May-Jun.

* Mountains; 1500-3000 m. W Sichuan, N Yunnan