Branchlets are stout and dull brown or gray in color. Buds are slightly sticky. The branches are usually short, forming a narrow, round-topped crown. The leaf blade gradually narrows at the tip and is slightly rounded toward the base. Margins are usually finely toothed.
Foliage is dark green above and pale and smooth below.
Foliage is tomentose when young, becoming glabrous or somewhat hairy as it ages. The flowers bloom in early spring and are in catkins. Female catkins have few flowers, while the male catkins are larger and many-flowered. Male trees produce no fruit, and the flowers are shed after pollen is shed. The fruit ripens before leaves are full-grown.