I am quite happy to admit that, despite being a [reasonably] competent botanist, I have always struggled with willows. They are a notoriously difficult group to identify, and their enthusiasm for hybridising only adds to the confusion, producing a bewildering array of intermediate forms. Still, they are a fascinating group of plants, and having ignored them long enough, I have resolved to get better acquainted. Cue a new page on this blog!

This page brings together the wild, naturalised and planted willows I have encountered on my travels. It is not intended as a dedicated identification guide but rather as a way to encourage interest and provide quick comparisons between similar species. Initially, there will inevitably be a strong bias towards species encountered in North East England, but more will be added in due course.

I should also note that I am not an expert on Salix; I am an interested amateur working to improve. With that in mind, discerning readers may well spot the occasional error. If in doubt, please check the expert resources here, here and here.

Quick Links

Rusty Willow

Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia / Salix atrocinerea

Rusty Willow Salix cinerea subsp. oleifolia is the most abundant shrubby willow in my neck of the woods and is widespread across much of the UK. Its leaves are oval to obovate, usually 3-9 cm long and seldom more than three times as long as broad, narrowing towards the base but broad towards the tip.

The bare twigs are marked by raised ridges, longer but generally less pronounced than those of Eared Willow and Grey Willow. The undersides of the leaves are among the more useful identification features, bearing a scattering of orange-brown hairs that can give the foliage a distinctly rusty appearance. These are often concentrated along the veins of older leaves and become much more obvious towards autumn than they are in early summer. The leaf margins are also generally quite smooth, contrasting with the wavy margins of Goat Willow.

Grey Willow

Salix cinerea subsp. cinerea

True Grey Willow Salix cinerea subsp. cinerea is rather scarce in my part of the world, though apparently much more frequent elsewhere in the UK, particularly in places such as Norfolk. The leaves are often somewhat broader than those of Rusty Willow and have a dull grey-green upper surface. Beneath, they are densely clothed in grey down, though less soft and velvety than the covering found on Goat Willow. Crucially, the rusty hairs characteristic of subsp. oleifolia are absent. The young twigs are usually covered in short, downy hairs, and the wood beneath the bark is strongly ridged throughout, more so than in Rusty Willow.

Goat Willow

Salix caprea subsp. caprea

Goat Willow Salix caprea subsp. caprea is one of the easier British willows to identify and is common just about everywhere. It typically forms a large shrub or small tree, often reaching 10 m in height, and is generally larger in all its parts than Grey Willow and Rusty Willow. The leaves are broad, typically 5–12 cm long and 2.5–8 cm wide, with a dense covering of white down beneath. The margins are often slightly wavy, and the leaf apex can appear subtly twisted. In a good example, the combination of large, broad leaves and their conspicuously soft, downy undersides leaves little room for doubt.

Importantly, the wood beneath the stripped bark lacks the raised ridges found in several other shrubby willows. A little care is needed here, however, as false striae can sometimes be seen flanking the tiny, pinhead-like marks left by aborted shoots.

Gangrene Willow

Salix caprea subsp. sphacelata

Altogether rarer than subsp. caprea, Salix caprea subsp. sphacelata is very much an upland willow if the maps are to be believed, found in willow-carr, roadsides and hillsides, but most frequent on the sides of rocky streams and in ravines. I have only ever encountered it in the latter habitat.

This one is characterised by smaller leaves than subsp. caprea and by many adpressed silky hairs on the tops of the young leaves as well as underneath. In fact, this silky hairiness on top of the leaf fooled early botanists into thinking that it was actually Woolly Willow Salix lanata. Sphacelata is Latin for gangrene, which refers to the brownish, rotting appearance of the leaf tips. Indeed, the leaves can appear rather sickly, which is a good identifying feature in itself.

Reichardt’s Willow

Salix x reichardtii

Reichardt’s Willow Salix x reichardtii is the hybrid between Goat Willow and Rusty Willow. It is thought to be widespread and reasonably common across much of the UK, though almost certainly under-recorded. In my experience, it can often be found wherever the two parents grow together.

As might be expected, the hybrid is generally intermediate between its parents. The leaves tend to be narrower and more pointed than those of Goat Willow, yet proportionately broader than in Rusty Willow. Leaf shape can vary considerably, though the margins are often somewhat wavy. The undersides may be more densely downy than in Rusty Willow, but are rarely as thickly as those of Goat Willow. The twigs are usually less stout than in pure Goat Willow and, importantly, the wood beneath the stripped bark bears at least some faint raised ridges.

Hybrid Willow

Salix x multinervis (S. cinerea x aurita)

I am not especially familiar with this willow, though it is said to be fairly common wherever Grey Willow Salix cinerea and Eared Willow S. aurita grow together. As might be expected, it appears nicely intermediate between its parents.

The leaves are generally larger and more elongate than those of S. aurita, often with variably wavy margins, while the veins are more deeply impressed, giving the foliage a noticeably more textured appearance than S. cinerea. The young stems also tend to show prominent raised ridges beneath the bark, and the stipules are typically larger and more conspicuous than those of S. cinerea.

Eared Willow

Salix aurita

A scattered species in the North East, though locally common in places, Eared Willow Salix aurita is a distinctive little shrub and one of the easier willows to recognise. It is typically richly branched and seldom exceeds 2.5 m in height, with branches that spread widely. The “Eared” part of its name comes from the prominent stipules visible below.

The leaves are usually small, rarely more than 5 cm long, with a characteristically dull grey-green upper surface. Deeply impressed veins give them a strongly wrinkled, almost crocodilian appearance, while the leaf tips are often conspicuously twisted. Together, these features make good plants rather distinctive. Like the grey willows, S. aurita bears raised ridges on the wood beneath the stripped bark. In this species, however, they are often relatively short and strongly pronounced.

Creeping Willow

Salix repens

Creeping Willow Salix repens is distinctive, at least in my area, in being the only small, ground-hugging Salix likely to be spotted in the wider countryside. However, this is not the case elsewhere. Seldom over 1m tall, it forms low patches or thickets and has narrow branches no more than 1cm thick. Its leaves are often very small, 1- 3.5 cm x 0.4- 2.5 cm, with the margins rolled down and with only a few obscure and uneven teeth. The stipules are absent or small (less than 3mm long), and it can vary in leaf hairiness, from thinly silky to thickly silvery-white in var. argentea (image 4). The commoner var. repens tends to have bright green, far less hairy leaves.

Dark-leaved Willow

Salix myrsinifolia

Dark-leaved Willow Salix myrsinifolia is an uncommon species in the North East and one I tend to associate with remote upland crags and shingly riverbanks. It does, however, turn up in other habitats from time to time. The twigs are dull brown or greenish and densely downy when young, often retaining at least some traces of hair into their second year. The leaves lack glands and are relatively small, broad and oval in shape, with wavy or toothed margins. They are rather thin and papery in texture, with prominent veins, a dull dark green upper surface and a paler grey or glaucous underside. The stipules are large, broad and persistent, remaining free from the buds.

At a glance, Dark-leaved Willow can resemble Tea-leaved Willow Salix phylicifolia, but the latter can usually be distinguished by its shinier upper leaf surface, glabrous shoots and consistently grey leaf undersides. In S. myrsinifolia, current-year shoots are hairy, and at least the lower leaves along a shoot are typically green beneath.

Tea-leaved Willow Salix phylicifolia	Dark-leaved Willow Salix myrsinifolia
Leaf undersides uniformly glaucous, typically hairless throughout	Leaf undersides often greenish on older leaves, typically with some hairs on veins
Stipules absent or very small	Stipules broad and persistent
Twigs and shoots hairless	Twigs and shoots hairy
Leaves glossy green above	Leaves dull and dark above

Tea-leaved Willow

Salix phylicifolia

Tea-leaved Willow Salix phylicifolia is a rather scarce species in my native Northumberland, where it is largely confined to upland streams and river valleys. It is considerably more frequent in parts of Teesdale. Despite its attractive appearance, it is one of the willows I feel least confident identifying, largely because of its close resemblance to Dark-leaved Willow!

Superficially, it is very similar to Salix myrsinifolia, but can usually be distinguished by its hairless, reddish-brown to yellowish twigs. The leaves are glossy green above and grey-green beneath, with hairless undersides throughout. Unlike S. myrsinifolia, it typically lacks the large, persistent stipules at the base of the leaf stalks, and its buds are relatively small.

Purple Willow

Salix purpurea

Purple Willow Salix purpurea is an excellent species for beginners, being one of the more distinctive British willows. It is fairly common along shingly riverbanks across the North East, though it also appears regularly in amenity plantings.

The leaves are narrow, with almost parallel sides through the lower three-quarters before tapering gradually towards the tip, with at least some of the leaves and side shoots arranged in opposite pairs along the twigs. Mature leaves are dull or have a subtle silky sheen, dark green above and pale blue-green beneath. Gently peeling back a little of the twig bark will expose a vivid neon-green inner layer unlike that of any other common willow.

European Violet Willow

Salix daphnoides

A rather scarce willow in my part of the world, though it is occasionally encountered in parks and other ornamental plantings, European Violet Willow Salix daphnoides is an attractive small tree introduced from continental Europe. At first glance, it resembles a diminutive Crack Willow, though the young twigs are often covered in a conspicuous bluish-white pruinose bloom, one of its most distinctive features. The leaves are dark green and glossy above, glaucous beneath, with noticeably toothed margins. They usually appear hairless when mature, although they emerge with a covering of hairs. The twigs are typically rich reddish-purple, particularly during the winter months.

Osier

Salix viminalis

Osier Salix viminalis is a common and generally straightforward willow to identify. It is frequently encountered in plantings around ponds, lakes and wetlands, though it also turns up well away from water in shelterbelts, hedgerows and other planted situations. In the wild, it is most often associated with riversides and other damp habitats.

It is a particularly distinctive species, with long, narrow leaves measuring around 10–15 cm by 0.5–1.5 cm and typically 10–20 times as long as they are wide. The leaves taper gradually towards both the base and the tip. The upper surface is dark green, slightly wrinkled and sparsely hairy, while the underside is densely clothed in short, white felt-like hairs. The leaf margins are usually slightly wavy and rolled downwards.

Silky-leaved Osier

Salix x holosericea (S. cinerea x viminalis)

Hybrids of Osier are rather less straightforward, though several are regularly encountered in amenity plantings and occasionally as wild plants. One of the commoner examples is Salix x holosericea.

This hybrid has weakly developed raised ridges (striae) beneath the stripped bark inherited from Grey Willow. The twigs are usually reddish-brown and remain densely downy throughout their first year, and the leaves are typically 6–11 × 0.8–2.5 cm, often rather small, with a thin covering of hairs beneath. They taper gradually to a cuneate base and usually have slightly down-rolled margins, inherited from Osier. The veins are deeply impressed, giving the upper surface a noticeably rougher, more textured appearance than is seen in many other willows.

Broad-leaved Osier

Salix x smithiana (S. caprea x viminalis)

Like the previous hybrid, this willow appears to be fairly widespread, though it is probably overlooked more often than it is recognised. Unlike many shrubby willows, the wood beneath the stripped bark lacks raised ridges (striae). The twigs are pale reddish to yellowish and clothed in dense white down when young, though they soon become hairless and develop a slight gloss during their first year. The leaves are large, typically 6-13 × 1.3–3 cm, with a dense covering of hairs beneath and prominent net-like veins. The absence of striae beneath the bark is a particularly useful character. However, care is needed not to confuse this with the false striae sometimes found flanking the tiny scars left by aborted shoots.

Holme Willow

Salix x calodendron (S. cinerea x caprea x viminalis)

A new one for me, and one I encountered only recently growing beside an ornamental pond in Newcastle, this is thought to be a three-way hybrid involving Grey Willow, Osier and Goat Willow.

The wood beneath the stripped bark bears strong raised ridges (striae), while the twigs are dull grey-brown and clothed in dense grey down that often persists well into their second year. The leaves are the largest of the Osier hybrids, typically measuring 10–15 × 3–5 cm. Beneath, they are thickly clothed in long, persistent hairs, while the leaf base is rounded or broadly tapering.

White Willow

Salix alba

Of the tall, tree-forming willows, White Willow Salix alba is perhaps the most distinctive and certainly one of the commonest. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, including riversides, ponds, woodland edges, shelterbelts and, increasingly, amenity plantings in parks and housing estates.

The leaves are narrow, typically 5–10 × 0.5–1.5 cm, with a smooth, flat upper surface on which the veins are only weakly visible. Both surfaces are clothed in long, silky white hairs that lie flat against the leaf, giving the foliage its characteristic silvery appearance. The leaf margins are finely and evenly serrated, more regularly so than in the similar Crack Willow.

Eastern Crack Willow

Salix euxina

I rather suspect I’ve overlooked this tree on many occasions, largely because of its close resemblance to Crack Willow Salix × fragilis. Having taken a closer look at some older amenity plantings in Newcastle, however, I’m now reasonably confident I’ve found it (at least, it keys out using the link at the top of this page).

Eastern Crack Willow Salix euxina develops into a large tree, often exceeding 15 m in height. The mature leaves are glossy green and essentially hairless, typically 5–15 × 1.5–3 cm, with coarse, irregular teeth (around 3–6 per cm). They usually taper gradually to a long, slender tip and have distinctly tapered bases. Like Crack Willow, the twigs snap away readily at the base. A particularly useful field character is the colour and finish of the young twigs, which are pale ochre and strikingly lustrous, unlike those of our other native and commonly planted willows.

Crack Willow

Salix x fragilis (S. alba x euxina)

Vying with White Willow for the title of the commonest large willow in my area, Crack Willow Salix × fragilis is thought to be a hybrid between White Willow and the Eastern Crack Willow. It is a familiar sight along rivers, beside ponds and in other damp places, often growing into a substantial tree.

At first glance it resembles White Willow, but generally has a greener appearance, larger leaves and yellowish to reddish twigs that snap cleanly and readily at the base. The leaves bear only sparse silky hairs, or are hairy only when young, and the upper surface is typically dull to slightly glossy rather than conspicuously silky. The leaf margins are more coarsely toothed than in White Willow, with around 3–6 teeth per centimetre. Several named forms have been described, including Broad-leaved Crack Willow Salix × fragilis var. furcata, though I have yet to encounter these.

Weeping Crack Willow

Salix x pendulina

An ornamental tree planted for its aesthetic value in parks and urban landscapes, this willow is generally considered to be less frequently encountered than the true Weeping Willow Salix × sepulcralis. It is not one I come across very often, but when I do, it usually resembles a pendulous Crack Willow Salix × fragilis. The leaves have distinctly and irregularly serrated margins, with large, uneven teeth, and are only thinly hairy when young before becoming more or less hairless at maturity. As with other Crack Willow derivatives, the brittle twigs snap away readily at the base, a useful identification feature.

Several varieties are recognised. Var. pendulina has a pronounced weeping habit and shortly acuminate stipules, while var. blanda is more weakly pendulous and has stipules with a long, slender apex.

Weeping Crack Willow Salix x pendulina	Weeping Willow Salix x sepulcralis
Leaves coarsely and irregularly serrate	Leaves finely serrate
Leaves sparsely hairy when young	Leaves densely silky hairy when young
Twigs snap easily	Twigs not snapping easily

Weeping Willow

Salix x sepulcralis

The iconic weeping willow, widely planted beside ponds and lakes, on country estates and, more occasionally, in urban landscapes. It is generally considered to be much more frequently planted than Weeping Crack Willow Salix × pendulina. In its familiar golden form, var. chrysocoma, it is instantly recognisable by its graceful, cascading branches and vivid golden-yellow twigs. Var. sepulcralis is a little more subdued in appearance but shares the same elegant, pendulous habit. In both varieties, the leaves emerge with a silky covering of hairs before becoming largely hairless as they mature. They are narrow, tapering and finely serrated along the margins.

Bay Willow

Salix pentandra

Bay Willow Salix pentandra is reasonably common as a planted tree locally and may occasionally occur in a more naturalised state in boggy ground and wet woodland. It is an attractive, broad-crowned willow, typically reaching around 7 m in height, though occasionally growing to 17 m.

The hairless twigs are very glossy, ranging from yellowish-brown to rich reddish-brown. The leaves are equally distinctive: smooth and lustrous dark green above, bright pale green beneath, broadly elliptical with a pointed tip, typically 5–12 × 2–5 cm. The finely and evenly toothed margins are characteristic, with the teeth pointing forwards towards the leaf tip. One of the most useful identification features is found on the leaf stalk, which bears a pair of small, sticky, resin-scented glands close to the base of the leaf blade.