Low spreading shrub, young branches black, glabrous shining, older often with whitish secretions. Flower buds 5-8 x 3-4 mm, obtuse, glabrous. Leaf stipulate, stipules of lower leaves obliquely ovate, others lanceolate, glandular toothed, glabrous. Petiole short; lamina elliptic or oblong-obovate, 1.5-4 times as long as broad, breadth greatest at above the middle, shortly acuminate, usually oblique, glabrous, somewhat hairy on the viens. Catkin precocious or coetaneous, staminate sessile, dense, ovoid-cylindric, 2-3 x 0.8-1 cm, stamens 2, filaments free, 4-5 mm. Anthers 0.4-0.6 mm long. Pistillate catkin cylindrical c. 3 cm long, 1 cm broad; in fruit about 5 cm long. Stalk with scale-like bracts; scales ovate, subobtuse, hairy, hairs long, white. Stipe 0.3-0.5 mm mature; capsule 5-6 mm long, glabrous, style 0.5-1 mm long, stigmas 0.3-0.6 mm long.

Fl. Per.: June.

Lectotype: "Schugnan, ad trajectum Schtam", B. Fedtschenko (LE, TASH), (A.K. Skvortsov, l.c.).

A.K. Skvortsov (in Rech.f., Fl. Iran. 65: 31. 1969) reports it from Gilgit (Paksitan) but cites no specimen from there. I have not seen any specimen of this taxon from Pakistan. It is included here on the authority of A.K. Skvortsov, l.c.

Distribution: Afghanistan (Nuristan), Tajikistan (Pamir, Darvaz), Pakistan (Gilgit) (A.K. Skvortsov, l.c.); China (Xinjiang) (F. Zhenfu, Z. Shidong & A.K. Skvortsov l.c.).