Moderately tall shrub, branches slender, one year old 0.7-1 mm thick, becoming yellow or brown, glabrous. Buds ovate in female plant, c. 3 mm long, in male a little bigger. Leaves stipulate, stipule c. 1 mm long, petiole c. 2-5 mm long, lamina narrowly lanceolate, 20-45 x 3-7-(9) mm, dull pale-lavender green on both the sides, glabrous, or the lower side in young leaves scantily silky, margin minutely acutely toothed. Catkin subsessile, peduncle 1-4 mm long, densely hairy, male at anthesis 12-20 x 8-10 mm; female at maturity c. 20 (-40) x 7 mm. Bracts persistent, obtuse, small ± pilose; in the female brownish, c. 1-1.5 x 0.6-0.7 mm, elongate to oval; in male 1.5-1.7 x 1 mm, oval, almost black. Filaments partly united, 4-5 mm long, hairy at the base. Anther yellow, oval or subglobose, 0.5-0.7 mm long. Capsule sessile, ovate, acute, with scant silky indumentum, mature c. 3.5 mm long. Style 0.4-0.7 mm long, stigma bilobed, 0.2-0.3 mm long.

Fl. Per.: March-May.

Type: Afghanistan, Behzud, Farakulum, ad fluv. Helmand, 2700 m, Koeie 2533 feminea (C,W).

Distribution: Pakistan (Quetta Dist.); Afghanistan.

I have not seen any specimen of the female plant. The male plant differs from that of S. blakii in having, in most cases, a persistent, dark brown bud scale at the base of the catkins, the dark blackish bracts also remain firmly arranged on the catkin axis and the filaments are partly united, whereas in S.blakii, the bud scales are not persistent, the blackish bracts shrivel up exposing the hairy catkin axis and the filaments are united throughout.