Populus ciliata, the Himalayan poplar, is a large deciduous tree with tall clean straight trunk and wide rounded crown. The bark of the young trees is smooth and greenish-grey while the bark of the old trees is dark brown with vertical cracks. Leaves are broadly ovate with hairy serrulate-crenate margins. Flowers are drooping raceme catkins that appear before or with leaves. Populus ciliata flowers are dioecious. Male flowers have a bell-shaped perianth and female flowers are bluntly toothed. A single capsule encloses an average of 100–150 seeds, which are covered by long silky hair.

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