Habit unknown. Current year's branchlets glabrous, yellow-green, 3.4–4.5 mm diameter. Year-old branchlets glabrous. Leaves alternate. Stipules not persisting. Petiole 23–28 mm long, densely velvety, adaxial groove absent, glands absent or a few near lamina base, base of petiole pale brown due to dense velvety hairs. Leaf lamina 122–150 mm long, 45–60 mm wide, length to width ratio 2.4–2.9:1, narrowly ovate, not falcate; base truncate; apex narrowly acute; leaf galls absent; orange rust absent in late summer; margins serrate, finely revolute or with a thickened sclerenchyma margin; upper lamina surface slightly bullate, midvein and side-veins raised, slightly glossy, sparsely tomentose, densely tomentose on midvein, stomata absent from upper surface; lower lamina surface midvein and side-veins raised, somewhat glaucous, sparsely tomentose, some hairs brown, some hairs branched. Inflorescences unknown.
Leaves are large, narrowly ovate, and have a thick, dry texture. On the underside of the leaf there are brown, fine hairs, which with a microscope can be seen to be sometimes branched, a unique feature of the species among willows present in New Zealand.
In cultivation at Levin (2017).
Not known in the wild.
First collection: CHR 649608, T. Jones, 7 February 2018, Levin.
First publication: This publication.
Flowering: Unknown.
Diploid, 2n = 38 (Ohashi 2006).