Trees to 18 m tall; trunk to 30 cm d.b.h.; bark of young trees bluish gray, becoming bluish white; crown narrowly oblong. Branches spreading; branchlets dull purplish brown, at first pubescent, glabrescent. Buds ovoid, slightly viscid, shiny; scales ciliate at margin. Petiole laterally flattened, terete near base, 1.5-5(-6) cm, pilose, with 2 large, flattened glands at apex; leaf blade broadly ovate, red when young, 3-10 × 3-8 cm, both surfaces pilose along veins, later glabrous, abaxially greenish, adaxially dark green, base shallowly cordate or rounded to rounded-cuneate, margin remotely glandular sinuolate-serrate, apex shortly acuminate. Fruiting catkin ca. 10 cm. Capsule 2-valved.

Similar to Populus adenopoda but 1-year-old branchlets dark purple, smooth, pilose; bud scales ciliate at margin; leaf blade remotely sinuolate-serrate at margin, shortly acuminate at apex. Similar also to P. davidiana but bud scales ciliate at margin; petiole with 2 large glands at apex; leaf blade nearly deltoid-ovate, apex shortly acuminate.

* Forests; 700-800 m. Hubei, Shaanxi