Shrubs or trees to 12 m tall; bark dull, brownish gray. Juvenile branchlets light green, tomentose, becoming purplish brown, subglabrescent. Buds pubescent, apex obtuse. Petiole ca. 1 mm, sericeous; leaf blade long elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 2-3.5(-5.5) × 0.5-1.1(-1.3) cm, abaxially pale, sericeous, rarely subglabrous, adaxially green, glabrous or subglabrous, both surfaces silky downy when young, base broadly cuneate or suborbicular, margin glandular serrulate, apex acute or obtuse; lateral veins 8-12 on each side of midvein. Male catkin cylindric, 1.5-2 cm; peduncle 3-6 mm, with 3-7 leaflets; bracts obovate, long pubescent, apex subrounded or obtuse. Male flower: stamens 2, connate and pilose at base; anthers yellow. Female catkin 1.2-1.8 cm, to 2-4 cm in fruit; peduncle short, with 3-5 leaflets at base; bracts ovate, ciliate, both surfaces glabrous, base obtuse or rounded. Female flower: gland adaxial; ovary ovoid, ca. 2 mm, glabrous, sessile; style conspicuous; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule ovoid-oblong, ca. 3 mm. Fl. Apr, fr. May.