Moderately tall shrub, branches slender, one year old 0.7-1 mm thick, becoming yellow or brown, glabrous. Buds ovate in female plant, c. 3 mm long, in male a little bigger. Leaves stipulate, stipule c. 1 mm long, petiole c. 2-5 mm long, lamina narrowly lanceolate, 20-45 x 3-7-(9) mm, dull pale-lavender green on both the sides, glabrous, or the lower side in young leaves scantily silky, margin minutely acutely toothed. Catkin subsessile, peduncle 1-4 mm long, densely hairy, male at anthesis 12-20 x 8-10 mm; female at maturity c. 20 (-40) x 7 mm. Bracts persistent, obtuse, small ± pilose; in the female brownish, c. 1-1.5 x 0.6-0.7 mm, elongate to oval; in male 1.5-1.7 x 1 mm, oval, almost black. Filaments partly united, 4-5 mm long, hairy at the base. Anther yellow, oval or subglobose, 0.5-0.7 mm long. Capsule sessile, ovate, acute, with scant silky indumentum, mature c. 3.5 mm long. Style 0.4-0.7 mm long, stigma bilobed, 0.2-0.3 mm long.