Shrubs. Leaf blade ovate, elliptic, or elliptic-oblong, rarely oblong-lanceolate to orbicular, usually small. Flowering coetaneous, rarely serotinous. Catkins ellipsoid to shortly cylindric; peduncle short or indistinct, with (sometimes deciduous) leaflets. Male flower: glands adaxial and abaxial, divided or entire; stamens 2; filaments downy proximally. Female flower: abaxial gland sometimes absent; ovary pilose, rarely glabrous, sessile or subsessile; style ca. 1/2 as long as ovary, 2-lobed.