Shrubs to 2 m tall. Lateral branches usually together on distal part of trunk or main branches, brown or purplish brown, stout, glabrous, shiny. Leaves clustered at apex of branchlets; petiole short; leaf blade oblong or slightly obovate-elliptic, 2-2.5(-3.5) × 0.5-1.3(-1.6) cm, abaxially pale, downy, adaxially pilose, base obtuse, margin entire, apex obtuse or acute. Catkins lateral on distal part of branchlets. Male catkin ca. 3 cm × 6-8 mm; peduncle with 36 leaflets; bracts suborbicular to obovate-oblong, ca. 1/2 as long as filaments, downy, ciliate, apex truncate or rounded-truncate, rarely retuse. Male flower: glands adaxial and abaxial; stamens 2; filaments free, ca. 5 mm, downy nearly throughout; anthers golden yellow. Female catkin 2-5.5 cm × 4-7 mm; bracts obovate-oblong, nearly as long as ovary. Female flower: adaxial gland ca. 1/3 as long as bracts, abaxial gland rarely present and small; ovary ovoid to long ovoid,

white or yellowish pubescent, sessile; style long, 2-cleft; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule ca. 3 mm; stipe short. Fl. May, fr. Jun.

* Mountain valleys; 2800-4300 m. Sichuan, Yunnan.