The upper surfaces of leaves are yellow-green and hairless. Flowers are densely clustered into a spike known as a catkin. They develop in the leaf axils near the end of a branch and are semi-erect to spreading. Catkins with pistillate flowers are closest to the tip of the branch. Staminate flowers have 10 to 20 stamens.
Female flowers have one pistil and are surrounded by spiny scales.
Burs split into two to six segments, releasing a solitary, dull-brown, roundish, edible nut.