yellow willow Salicaceae Salix lutea

Leaf:Alternate, simple, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, 2 to 3 1/2 inches long, finely serrated, initially quite hairy but later mostly smooth, green above and paler below.
Flower:Species is dioecious; fuzzy, yellowish white catkins, 1/2 to 2 inches long; appearing in the spring with the leaves.
Fruit:Small, cone-shaped capsules, in a tight narrow cluster, each capsule containing many cottony seeds, split open when mature in late summer.
Twig:Slender, yellow- green to yellow- brown; buds are small, appressed and orange brown in color.
Bark:Relatively smooth but largest stems may have very shallow fissures, gray-brown.
Form:Most typically a small shrub forming dense thickets, occasionally a small tree to 20 feet.

leaf flower bark form map

Notes: