Shrub or tree up to 10 m tall. Branchlets glabrous shiny. Leaves stipulate, stipules linear, caducous; petiole 1.5-6 mm, lamina (2.3)-4-10x0.5-2.5 cm, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, elliptic, silky beneath, becoming glabrous on both sides, margin entire to minutely denticulate, tip acuminate. Catkin appearing slightly early or almost at the same time as leaves, sessile to briefly pedunculate. Male catkin at anthesis 2.5-5x0.7-0.9 cm. Female catkin 3-8x0.8-1 cm. Bracts dark brown to blackish, 1-2.5x0.7-1.6 mm, generally obtuse, hairy, hairs long, Filaments connate throughout, 4-5 mm long, hairy at the base. Anthers 0.5-0.6 mm long. Gland linear. Ovary sessile, 2.5 mm long, ovoid, acutish at the tip, glabrous, almost style less (style 0.3-0.7 mm). Stigmas 2, short, erect, bilobed 0.3-0.7 mm. Capsule stipitate, stipe 0.1-0.8 mm long, mature capsule 4-6 mm long, lanceolate-conical, hairy to glabrous.

Fl. Per.: May-July.

Type: Gauskar (Zanskar), 13000 ft, reg. alpine, T. Thomson (K).

Andersson has wrongly stated the type locality as `Gauskar', though it is correctly stated as `Zanskar' on the type sheet.

Distribution: Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan (Chitral, Gilgit, Swat), Kashmir, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Khirgzstan and China (S. Xinjiang) (F. Zhenfu, Z.Shidong & A.K. Skvortsov, l.c.).