General:
Dwarf shrubs, 3-15 cm tall, spreading by layering; branches trailing, flexible at base; twigs yellow- to red-brown, smooth.

Leaves:
Alternate, simple, broadly oblong to broadly elliptic or nearly circular, 1-6.5 cm long, 0.8-5 cm wide, lower surface glaucous, silky to nearly smooth, hairs white, upper surface shiny or highly glossy and deeply net-veined, smooth, entire or obscurely toothed, bases rounded or heart-shaped, tips rounded; leaf stalks with or without glandular dots at top; stipules rudimentary.

Flowers:
Unisexual, lacking sepals and petals, borne in catkins which flower as leaves emerge, the catkins stout, on leafy twigs; floral bracts pale; stamens 2; ovaries 1, hairy or smooth; styles 0.2-0.4 mm long.

Fruits:
Capsules which split open to release the seeds, each of which is surrounded by a tuft of hairs; stalks 0-0.8 mm long.

Notes:
In this species the vegetative twigs almost always terminate in a catkin.

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Flower Colour:
Purple

Blooming Period:
Early Summer

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Red
Present over the

Source:  The USDA