Goat willow or sallow

The familiar ‘pussy willow’ of the countryside, goat willow is the commonest of our willows, growing almost anywhere.

What other names does it have?

Can also be known as	Pussy willow Great sallow Sally Black sally (Wiltshire) Palm willow
Generic name	Willow
Latin name	Salix caprea
Family name	Willow
Latin family name	Saliceceae

What type of tree is it?

Is it a broadleaf or conifer?	It is a broadleaf
Does it lose its leaves in autumn?	Yes, it is deciduous

Species description:

Average height	6-10m

Leaf

Description	Wrinkly leaves with a fine grey felt beneath. There are few if any teeth and the pointed tip is bent to one side. One of the few willows to have wide leaves more typically oval than long and thin.
Shape	Oval
Colour	Green
Leaf bud	Rounded buds
Leaf stalk	Short stalk
Leaf arrangement	Alternate

Flower, seed, and fruit

Type of flower	Catkin
Flowering season	January to March before the leaves are out
Tree/flower sex	Both sexes
Fruit colour	Greenish brown with white fluff on the seeds
Type of seed body	Catkin
Seeds dispersed by	Wind

Bark and twig

Bark description	Grey with diamond-shaped pits
Twig Description	Grey and thicker than most willows. Twigs can be red-yellow in the sun.

What other trees are similar?

Can easily be confused with?	Grey willow- which has smaller longer thinner leaves

Where is it usually found?

Is it native or non-native to the British Isles?	Native
Where is its natural range?	Britain and Ireland
Preferred soil type or environmental conditions?	Grows in ditches, reedbeds, scrub, wet woodland, hedges and urban wasteland
What is its British conservation status?	Common

Additional information

Tree lore and folklore

All willows were seen as trees of celebration in biblical times but this had changed over time and now the willows are associated with sadness and mourning. Classical poems often refer to willow in this way and it is repeated in art with Ophelia drowning herself near a willow. It is suggested that the bitter taste of willow gave it this assocation. Sprays of sallow have frequently been used as ‘palm’ to decorate churches and homes at Easter as little else was in leaf or flower. Tradition has it that if girls didn’t wear a sprig of pussy willow on Palm Sunday, then they would get their hair pulled. In Ireland it was thought that goat willow can protect against enchantment and that it is lucky to take a rod/twig on a journey.

Sinous bole

Leaves and fruit

Goat willow flowers

Illustrations supplied by
Collins

BritishTrees