Shrubs, 1-5 m, (sometimes forming clones by stem fragmentation). Stems: branches (highly to ± brittle at base), yellow-brown or red-brown, usually strongly glaucous, (slightly glossy), glabrous or glabrescent; branchlets red-brown or mottled yellow-brown, (strongly to not glaucous), glabrous, puberulent, pilose, or velvety, (buds caprea-type or intermediate). Leaves: stipules usually rudimentary or absent, or foliaceous, then small and ovate or slender, apex acute; petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 2-12 mm, villous or velvety adaxially; largest medial blade lorate, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, or oblanceolate, 40-85 × 9-26 mm, 3-6.2 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins slightly revolute, entire, or shallowly crenate to sinuate, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous (obscured by hairs), densely short-to long-silky, hairs (white, sometimes also ferruginous), straight or wavy, adaxial slightly glossy or dull, sparsely short-silky to glabrescent, (hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous); proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade green, very densely short-silky abaxially (sparsely so adaxially), hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous. Catkins flowering before leaves emerge; staminate stout, 19-40 × 8-20 mm, flowering branchlet 0 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender or stout, 22-87(-105 in fruit) × 8-18 mm, flowering branchlet 0-3(-6) mm; floral bract brown or black, 1.2-2.8 mm, apex acute or rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight. Staminate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong, 0.3-0.6 mm; filaments distinct, glabrous; anthers purple turning yellow, ellipsoid to shortly cylindrical, 0.4-0.6 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary narrowly oblong, oblong, or ovate, 0.4-1 mm, shorter to longer than stipe; stipe 0.3-2 mm; ovary pyriform, short-silky, beak gradually tapering to styles; ovules 6-17 per ovary; styles 0.5-1.5 mm; stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with pointed tip, or slenderly to broadly cylindrical, 0.32-0.43-1 mm. Capsules 2.5-6 mm. 2n = 38, 57, 76.
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