Shrubs cushion-shaped; trunk and lateral branches creeping, yellowish brown. Branchlets suberect, russet, glabrous when mature. Buds ovoid, small, glabrous. Petiole ca. 3 mm, densely villous when young; leaf blade elliptic, obovate-elliptic, or ovate, (5-)10(-20) × 4-8 mm, abaxially greenish and densely appressed villous, adaxially green, glabrous, base broadly cuneate, margin sparsely glandular serrate distally, remotely dentate or entire proximally, or all entire, apex acute; veins raised abaxially, impressed adaxially. Flowering coetaneous. Catkins ovoid-globose, ca. 1 cm, ca. 10-flowered; rachis densely villous; bracts yellow, obovate, glabrous, apex truncate, obtuse-rounded, or coarsely dentate. Male flower: adaxial gland terete, longer than abaxial gland, short and broad, sometimes 2-parted; stamens 2, ca. 3 mm, ca. 3 × as long as bracts, villous at base; anthers dull yellow, ellipsoid, small. Female flower: gland terete, adaxial; ovary ovoid, glabrous or pilose, sessile; style 2-lobed; stigma ovoid, 2-lobed. Capsule long ovoid, ca. 4 mm, glabrous. Fl Jun-Jul, fr. Jul-Aug.

* Mountain slopes, thickets; 2600-3900 m. W Sichuan, E Xizang, W Yunnan.