Erect or spreading tree to 20 m or more high; trunks 1–several; bark greyish-brown, deeply fissured with age; twigs at first densely appressed-villous, remaining pubescent or becoming glabrous, often lustrous, brown, olive-green to orange-yellow, hardly fragile at joints; buds tan to dark brown, usually appressed-pubescent. Leaves lanceolate, 5–13 cm long, 0.5–2.7 cm wide, at first densely appressed-sericeous, ultimately more or less glabrous and dull to lustrous green above, undersurface glaucous or glaucescent, thinly appressed-sericeous or glabrous; apex long-acuminate; base narrowly cuneate; margins minutely glandular-serrate; stipules caducous, asymmetrically subulate-lanceolate, to 5 mm long, densely appressed-sericeous, margins glandular-toothed, upper surface with scattered dark sessile glands. Catkins (3.5–)5–8 cm long, produced on short leafy lateral shoots, spreading or erect; male and female plants present; male catkins elongate-cylindric, c. 8 mm wide, dense-flowered; catkin-scales 2–3 mm long, pale yellow-green; stamens 2; female catkin c. 6 mm diam., catkin-scales 3–5.5 mm long; ovary subsessile or very shortly stalked, glabrous, narrowly flask-shaped, 2–3.5 mm long; capsule shortly flask-shaped, 4–5 mm long.