Trees medium sized; bark grayish, darker at base of trunk; crown wide. Branchlets yellowish brown or light yellow, slightly angled, glabrous. Leaves on proximal part of short branchlets with petioles terete; leaf blade varying from obovate or ovate at base of branchlet through orbicular-ovate to deltoid-orbicular or compressed orbicular near apex, from 2-3 cm near base of branchlet to 6-7 cm at apex, both surfaces glabrous, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, rounded, or truncate, margin obtusely crenate-serrate, slightly translucent, apex acuminate or shortly acuminate. Sprouts with leaf blade rhombic-ovate or obovate, base cuneate. Male catkin ca. 4 cm. Female catkin 5-6 cm, elongated in fruit; rachis glabrous or tomentose. Female flower: style short; stigmas 2. Capsule 5-6 mm, 2-valved; stipe 4-5 mm. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Jun.

Along river valleys; 1400-2800 m. S Xinjiang [Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan].