white willow Salicaceae Salix alba

Leaf:Alternate, simple, lanceolate to narrow ovate, 2 to 4 inches long, finely serrated, shiny green above, nearly white and silky below.
Flower:Species is dioecious; males and females appear as upright, yellowish, fuzzy catkins, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, appearing before or with the leaves.
Fruit:A 1 to 2 inch long cluster of valve-like, light brown capsules, containing many fine, cottony seeds, ripen in late spring to early summer.
Twig:Very slender, smooth or slightly downy, yellowish brown (golden), flexible; buds are small, appressed and covered by a single, cap-like scale. Terminal buds lacking.
Bark:Grayish brown and irregularly furrowed, into rough narrow ridges.
Form:An upright tree capable of reaching 80 feet tall, with a wide spreading crown. Trunk often splits low to the ground.

Notes: