Trees, 3-30 m. Stems: branches flexible to ± brittle at base, yellow-brown to gray-brown, pubescent to glabrescent; branchlets usually yellowish or yellow-green, sometimes reddish brown, puberulent or pubescent to glabrescent. Leaves: stipules broad rudiments or foliaceous on early ones, foliaceous on late ones, (glands numerous adaxially), apex rounded to convex; petiole (sometimes with spherical glands distally), 4-10 mm, pilose adaxially; largest medial blade (sometimes amphistomatous), narrowly elliptic, very broadly oblong, lorate, or linear, 67-130 × 9.5-16 mm, 4.7-12.4 times as long as wide, base cuneate to convex, margins serrulate to serrate, apex acuminate, caudate, or acute, abaxial surface (usually not glaucous, rarely thinly so), glabrous or puberulent, hairs wavy, adaxial slightly glossy, pilose to glabrescent; proximal blade margins entire or shallowly serrulate; juvenile blade sparsely velvety to pilose abaxially, hairs white. Catkins: staminate 19-80 × 6-10 mm, flowering branchlet 2-23 mm; pistillate 23-82 × 6-15 mm, flowering branchlet 2-48 mm; floral bract 1.4-2.4 mm, apex acute or rounded, entire or toothed, abaxially sparsely to moderately densely hairy, hairs wavy; pistillate bract deciduous after flowering. Staminate flowers: abaxial nectary (0.2-)0.3-0.6 mm, adaxial nectary square to ovate, 0.2-0.6 mm, nectaries distinct; stamens 4-6(-8); filaments (sometimes basally connate), hairy on proximal 1/2; anthers 0.4-0.5 mm, (axes straight). Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary square (flattened), 0.2-0.6 mm; stipe 1.2-3.2 mm; ovary pyriform, (sometimes villous), beak slightly bulged or abruptly tapering to styles; ovules 12-18 per ovary; styles 0.1-0.3 mm; stigmas 0.2-0.29-0.32 mm. Capsules 6-7 mm. 2n = 38.
Riparian forests, springs, seepage areas, washes, meadows. Found in desert, desert grassland and oak woodland habitats, it is most abundant on nutrient-rich flood plains; at at elevations from 60-2,500 metres.
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