Plants sometimes forming clones by stem fragmentation. Stems: branches (sometimes ± brittle at base), yellow-brown or olive-brown, not or weakly glaucous, glabrous; branchlets yellow-brown or olive-brown, violet tinged, glabrous. Leaves (sometimes opposite or subopposite); stipules absent; petiole shallowly grooved adaxially, 2–7 mm, glabrous adaxially; largest medial blade lorate, narrowly oblong, narrowly oblanceolate, oblanceolate, 35–77 × 5–20 mm, base convex or rounded, margins strongly revolute, entire or serrulate, apex acute, acuminate, or convex, abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, adaxial dull to sublustrous, glabrous; proximal blade margins entire; juvenile blade yellowish green or reddish, glabrous or sparsely pubescent abaxially, hairs white, sometimes also ferruginous. Catkins flowering before leaves emerge, (subopposite, recurved); staminate stout or subglobose, 25–33 × 6–10 mm, flowering branchlet 0 mm; pistillate densely flowered, slender or stout, 13.5–34.5(–35 in fruit) × 3–7 mm, flowering branchlet 0.5–3 mm; floral bract black or bicolor, 0.8–1.6 mm, apex rounded, abaxially hairy, hairs straight or wavy. Staminate flowers: adaxial nectary oblong, square, or ovate, 0.4–0.8 mm; filaments connate; anthers (distinct), purple turning yellow, ellipsoid or globose, 0.4–0.5 mm. Pistillate flowers: adaxial nectary ovate, 0.3–0.7 mm; ovary obturbinate, beak gradually tapering to styles; ovules 6 per ovary; styles 0.2–0.3 mm. Capsules 2.5–5 mm. 2n = 38.