Shrubs, 0.3-3 m, (forming clones by layering). Stems: branches dark red-brown, not or weakly glaucous, tomentose to glabrescent; branchlets red-brown, yellow-brown, or greenish brown, moderately to very densely villous, tomentose, or velvety-tomentose to glabrescent. Leaves: stipules absent or rudimentary on early ones, absent, rudimentary or foliaceous on late ones, apex acute; petiole convex to flat, or shallowly grooved adaxially, 0.5-7(-12) mm, velvety, pilose, or villous adaxially; largest medial blade (sometimes hemiamphistomatous), narrowly oblong, narrowly elliptic, elliptic, oblanceolate, obovate, or broadly obovate, (13-)20-90(-135) × 3-23(-35) mm, 2.3-9 times as long as wide, base cuneate or convex, margins revolute or flat, entire, crenate, or sinuate, (glands submarginal), apex acuminate or convex, abaxial surface glaucous, sparsely to densely tomentose or woolly, hairs erect or spreading, wavy, adaxial slightly or highly glossy, glabrous, pubescent, tomentose, or pilose; proximal blade margins entire or serrulate; juvenile blade green, densely tomentose to glabrescent abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous. Catkins flowering before leaves emerge; staminate 6.5-34 × 5-19 mm, flowering branchlet 0-1 mm; pistillate (and staminate) moderately to very densely flowered, stout, subglobose, or globose, 9-47(-55 in fruit) × 5.5-19 mm, flowering branchlet 0-4 mm; floral bract brown, black, or bicolor, 0.8-2 mm, apex rounded or acute, abaxially moderately densely hairy, hairs (white), straight or wavy. Staminate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong or square, 0.2-0.7 mm; filaments distinct, glabrous or hairy basally; anthers purple turning yellow, ellipsoid or cylindrical, 0.4-0.6 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary square, 0.4-0.8 mm, shorter than stipe; stipe 1-2.5 mm; ovary obclavate or pyriform, moderately densely to sparsely short-silky-villous (hairs refractive), beak slightly bulged below styles, (valves recurving in fruit); ovules 6-12 per ovary; styles (sometimes slightly distinct distally), 0.2-0.4 mm; stigmas slenderly to broadly cylindrical, 0.2-0.56 mm. Capsules 5-12 mm.
