Shrub, diœcious, 4–9 ft. high; twigs pubescent. Leaves petioled, firm, obovate or obovate-lanceolate or oblanceolate, cuspidate or acuminate, gradually narrowed from beyond the middle to the narrow-cuneate base, distinctly regularly toothed, 6–12 in. long, 1 1/2–4 in. broad, finely puberulous on the midrib, otherwise glabrous above, minutely puberulous beneath, especially on the prominent midrib and 12–20 pairs of lateral nerves; petiole rather variable, 1/2–2 1/2 in. long, finely puberulous, pulvinate at the base and apex; stipules lanceolate, adpressed-pilose, 2 lin. long, deciduous. Spikes from nodes on the old wood or females axillary, males several, females solitary, 3–4 in. long; rhachis puberulous, shorter than the leaves. Male flowers in sessile clusters; bracts ovate, acute, puberulous. Buds globose, under 1 lin. wide; calyx-segments 3–4, green, triangular. Stamens 2-seriate, inner slightly longer than the calyx-lobes. Female flowers solitary; calyx 4–5-partite. Disk urceolate, distinctly 6–8-lobed. Ovary thinly pubescent, subglobose, slightly sulcate or smooth, thick-walled, 2-celled, less often 3-celled; ovules solitary; styles 2 or 3, connate below, recurved and free above, finely papillose, simple. Fruit indehiscent, depressed-globose, 1/2 in. wide, 5 lin. high; pericarp glandular-lenticelled externally.
