Plants 0.02-0.1 m, forming clones by layering. Stems decumbent or trailing; branches yellow-brown, gray-brown, or red-brown, (often weakly glaucous, dull or slightly glossy), glabrous; branchlets yellow-green or yellow-brown, usually glabrous, sometimes pilose to glabrescent. Leaves: stipules absent or rudimentary; petiole 2-13 mm (longer than subtended bud); largest medial blade usually amphistomatous, very narrowly to broadly elliptic, oblanceolate, or obovate, 19-44 × 7-21 mm, 1.5-4.6 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins flat, entire, apex acute, acuminate, convex, or rounded, abaxial surface pilose to glabrescent, hairs wavy, adaxial dull or slightly glossy, pilose or sparsely villous to glabrescent; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade villous or pilose abaxially, mainly on margin. Catkins: staminate (ca. 50 flowers), 18-32 × 6-13 mm, flowering branchlet 3-13 mm; pistillate moderately densely to loosely flowered, (18-80 flowers), slender or stout, 18-59(-70 in fruit) × 6-15 mm, flowering branchlet 2-40 mm; floral bract tawny or brown, 0.5-3.6 mm, apex acute or rounded, entire or 2-fid, abaxially hairy or ciliate, hairs straight or wavy. Staminate flowers: abaxial nectary 0-0.2 mm, adaxial nectary oblong, narrowly oblong, or square, 0.4-1.2 mm, nectaries distinct; filaments distinct or connate less than 1/2 their lengths; anthers ellipsoid, short-cylindric, or globose, 0.4-0.8 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong, square, narrowly oblong, or ovate, 0.5-1.2 mm, equal to or longer than stipe; stipe 0.2-0.8 mm; ovary pyriform or obturbinate, sparsely to densely villous, beak gradually tapering to styles; ovules 6-12 per ovary; styles 0.4-1.6 mm; stigmas flat, abaxially non-papillate with rounded or pointed tip, or broadly to slenderly cylindrical, 0.28-0.36-0.6 mm. Capsules 3.6-5 mm. 2n = 76.
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