Shrubs to 4 m tall. One-year-old branchlets yellowish, usually slightly tomentulose near buds. Juvenile branchlets at first pubescent, becoming subglabrous. Stipules linear, acuminate or acute, often longer on shoots; petiole ca. 1 cm; leaf blade linear, 4-8 cm × 2-4 mm, to 12 cm on shoots, abaxially grayish white, tomentulose when young, glabrescent, adaxially greenish, base cuneate, margin sparsely serrate, apex acuminate. Flowering precocious or nearly coetaneous. Catkins 1-2 cm; peduncle short, with leaflets; rachis tomentose; bracts ovate-oblong, abaxially brown, glabrous, villous at base, apex obtuse-rounded. Male flower: adaxial gland short; stamens 2, connate throughout; filaments pilose at base; anthers 4-loculed, yellow. Female flower: ovary ovoid, tomentose, sessile; style ca. 1/2 as long as ovary, ca. 0.5 mm; stigma 2-cleft. Fl. Mar-Apr, fr. May.

Similar to Salix gordejevii but branchlets slightly tomentulose near buds; leaf blade not revolute at margin in autumn; stamens completely connate; capsule tomentose. Similar also to S. gracilior but leaf blade linear; style conspicuous, short.

Used for weaving wicker articles and stabilizing sand.

* Sands. Nei Mongol, Ningxia (Yanchi Xian), Shaanxi, Shanxi