Shrubs to 1 m tall. Branchlets russet, glabrous or pilose. Stipules present; petiole present; leaf blade oblong-obovate, 3-5 × 1-2.5 cm, sparsely downy, abaxially grayish blue, base broadly cuneate, margin entire, apex shortly acuminate. Flowering coetaneous or serotinous. Catkins 2-4 cm; peduncle elongated in fruit; bracts long obovate, villous, apex obtuse. Male flower: stamens 2; filaments distinct, downy proximally. Female flower: ovary cylindric-ovoid, white tomentose, shortly stipitate; style deeply 2-lobed; stigma forked. Capsule 5-8 mm, gray tomentose; Fl. Jun-Jul. 2n = 76, 96, 114, 144, 152.

Alpine places; 2500-3000 m. Xinjiang (Altay Shan) [N Mongolia, Russia; Europe, North America]