Shrubs to 40 cm tall. Branchlets brownish or chestnut colored, rather thick; juvenile branchlets tomentulose, glabrescent. Buds long ovoid, tomentulose. Stipules lanceolate, tomentose, usually caducous; petiole short; leaf blade oblong-obovate, 4-6 × 2-3 cm, abaxially gray, pilose or glabrous, when young both surfaces densely silky, adaxially greenish, base cuneate, margin entire, rarely remotely glandular denticulate, apex shortly acuminate. Flowering nearly coetaneous. Male catkin cylindric, 2-3 × 0.8-1 cm; peduncle short, tomentose, with scalelike leaflets and usually easily detached hairs; bracts dull brown or russet, broadly ovate, densely long gray pubescent, apex acute. Male flower: adaxial gland rectangular; stamens 2; filaments distinct, glabrous; anthers yellow, ellipsoid, apex mucronate. Fruiting catkin 4-5 cm; bracts as in male catkin. Female flower: gland as in male flower; ovary ovoid-conical, densely tomentose, shortly stipitate; style 1-1.5 mm; stigma usually shorter than style, 2-cleft, lobes procumbent or recurved. Capsule gray, tomentose. Fl. Jun, fr. Jul.

Damp places on mountains; ca. 2000 m. Xinjiang (Altay Shan).