Stems: branches gray-brown to red-brown, not glaucous, glabrous; branchlets red-brown, glabrous or puberulent. Leaves: stipules rudimentary on early ones, apex acute; petiole shallowly grooved adaxially, 3-11 mm, puberulent to glabrescent adaxially; largest medial blade very narrowly elliptic to elliptic, 38-78 × 7-18 mm, base cuneate or convex, margins slightly revolute, serrulate, apex acuminate, acute, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous (sometimes obscured by hairs), sparsely to densely long-silky, hairs (white, sometimes also ferruginous), straight, adaxial highly or slightly glossy, glabrous; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade yellowish green, very densely long-silky abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous. Catkins flowering as or just before leaves emerge; staminate stout or slender, 17-43 × 5-10 mm, flowering branchlet 0-2.5 mm; pistillate densely to loosely flowered, stout to slender, 20-46 × 6-15 mm, flowering branchlet 0-6 mm; floral bract tawny or brown, 0.8-1.2 mm, apex convex to rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy. Staminate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong, 0.6-0.9 mm; filaments distinct; anthers purple turning yellow, ellipsoid to globose, 0.3-0.6 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong or ovate, 0.6-1 mm; ovary pyriform, beak gradually tapering to styles; ovules 16-18 per ovary; styles 0.3-0.5 mm. Capsules 4-6 mm. 2n = 38.
Stream margins, lakeshores, openings in white spruce forests, treed bogs, sedge fens, edges of alpine and arctic tundra; at elevations up to 2,000 metres.
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