Tree often with poor form. Terminal buds reddish and blunt . Female flower buds, if present, occur in clusters. Bark is smooth and gray on young trees, becoming flaky or shaggy on large trees. Terminal buds blunt and rather brownish.
Twigs smell somewhat bad when crushed.
Bark smooth and gray on young trees, becoming loose and peeling upward. Usually along river corridors or planted as an ornamental. Terminal buds quite sharp and pointy. Slender twigs, gray or medium-brown. Bark smooth and gray on young trees, becoming textured, thick, deeply fissured but always tight on large trees.