Each leaflet is oval or pear-shaped with a pointed tip. The central leaflet is the largest. Terminal buds are absent. Buds are superposed, small, silvery, silky, and often hidden by the leaf base. Leaf scars are horseshoe-shaped.
Branches are reddish-brown in the second year.
Flowers are small with unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same plant. Flowers are greenish-white and unpleasantly scented. This tree flowers in June. Fruit matures in September or October. The fruit consists of a small, round, two-seeded, winged samara resembling paper caps for toy pistols.