Trees to 30 m tall; trunk to 2 m d.b.h.; bark black, furrowed. Branches grayish brown to brown, stout; branchlets russet, angled, smooth. Petiole russet, terete, 5-10 cm, glabrous. Leaf blade ovate to elliptic-ovate, 16-23 × 10-15 cm, abaxially grayish white, pubescent along veins, adaxially dull green, smooth, base narrowly cordate, margin densely shallowly glandular serrate, apex acuminate to long acuminate; veins raised abaxially. Fruiting catkin to 35 cm; rachis glabrous. Capsule ovoid, ca. 5 mm, 4- or 5-valved, subsessile. Fr. May.

Similar to Populus haoana but branchlets, petioles, and leaf blade glabrous; capsule 5-valved, glabrous. Similar also to P. yunnanensis but leaf blade narrowly cordate at base, veins pilose; fruiting catkin longer; capsule usually smaller, 5-valved.

* Along rivers; circa 2000 m. Xizang (Zayü Xian), NW Yunnan