Shrubs, 3–7 m. Stems: branches brownish, not glaucous, pilose, villous, or tomentose to glabrescent, (peeled wood with striae to 62 mm); branchlets yellow-brown, pilose, velvety, or densely villous. Leaves: stipules rudi-mentary or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, apex acute or rounded; petiole convex to flat adaxially, 4–15 mm, tomentose adaxially; largest medial blade elliptic, broadly elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 65–105 × 22–52 mm, 2–3 times as long as wide, base convex or cuneate, margins slightly revolute, entire, crenate, or sinuate, (glands submarginal), apex acuminate or convex, abaxial surface glaucous, tomentose, hairs erect or spreading, curly, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, pubescent or tomentose; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade yellowish green, sparsely to densely tomentose abaxially, hairs white. Catkins flowering before leaves emerge; staminate stout or subglobose, 26–39 × 12–26 mm, flowering branchlet 0–5 mm; pistillate densely flowered, stout or subglobose, 27–54(–75 in fruit) × 4–15 mm, flowering branchlet 1–5(–10) mm; floral bract dark brown, black, or bicolor, 2–3 mm, apex acute or convex, abaxially hairy, hairs straight. Staminate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.5–1 mm; filaments distinct, glabrous or hairy basally; anthers yellow or purple turning yellow, ellipsoid or shortly cylindrical, 0.7–1 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.4–1 mm, shorter than stipe; stipe 1.2–2.7 mm; ovary pyriform, long-silky, beak slightly bulged below styles; ovules 12 per ovary; styles 0.2–0.5 mm; stigmas slenderly or broadly cylindrical, 0.3–0.6 mm. Capsules 5–5.6 mm. 2n = 76.