purpleosier willow Salicaceae Salix purpurea

Leaf:Alternate, simple, oblanceolate, 2 to 4 inches long and very narrow, entire or with a few teeth at tips, very short reddish petiole, dark green to blue-green above, much paler and whitened (silvery) below.
Flower:Species is dioecious; 1 to 2 inches long, fuzzy catkins on a slender 1 inch stem, yellowish white, appearing in early spring with the leaves.
Fruit:Small (1/4 inch) long pointed capsules in long, narrow clusters; each capsule contains numerous small fuzzy seeds.
Twig:Very slender, reddish purple and green, shiny; buds red with a single cap-like scale, small, appressed.
Bark:Smooth, gray green.
Form:Upright very dense, rounded shrub reaching up to 10 feet in height with a very fine texture.

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