[2][3] Salix caesia is a densely branched dwarf shrub that reaches heights of up to 70 cm (28 in).

The male flowers contain two stamens, partially fused, and the anthers are dark blue-violet.

In female flowers, the ovary is almost sessile, hairy, the style relatively short and thick, the stigmas red and not divided, and they have a nectar gland.

[2][3] The yellowish to brown, hairy, two-lobed capsule fruits are 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) long.

[4] The main distribution areas of Salix caesia are the Chinese autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Tibet; Central Asia: Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia; West and East Siberia, Pakistan and Kashmir.