Plants sometimes forming clones by stem fragmentation. Stems: branches (highly brittle at base), gray-brown or violet, not glaucous, tomentose to glabrescent; branchlets red-brown, violet, or mottled yellow-brown, sparsely to densely velvety. Leaves: stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones, late ones 1.2–4 mm, apex acute or acuminate; petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 3.5–12(–21) mm, (sometimes 2 spherical glands distally), velvety adaxially; largest medial blade lorate, narrowly oblong, or narrowly elliptic, (48–)54–82–100(–125) × (7–)9–16.7–25 mm, base cuneate or convex, margins flat, serrulate or crenulate, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous (sometimes obscured by hairs), densely short-silky, hairs straight, adaxial dull, sparsely pubescent to glabrescent; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade reddish or yellowish green, very densely short-silky abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous. Catkins flowering as or just before leaves emerge; staminate stout, 13.5–40 × 4–9 mm, flowering branchlet 0–2 mm; pistillate loosely to moderately densely flowered, slender to stout, 18–43 × 5–12 mm, flowering branchlet 1–3 mm; floral bract dark brown, black, or bicolor, 0.8–1.5 mm, apex rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy. Staminate flowers: adaxial nectary ovate to oblong, 0.3–0.8 mm; filaments distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths; anthers purple turning yellow, 0.4–0.6 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong, ovate, or flask-shaped, 0.4–0.7 mm; ovary ovoid, beak abruptly tapering to styles; ovules 6 per ovary; styles 0.2–0.4 mm. Capsules 2.5–4 mm.
