Grey Willow

Appearance

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 4–15 m high. The leaves are spirally arranged, 2–9 cm long and 1–3 cm broad, green above, hairy below, with a crenate margin. The flowers are produced in early spring in catkins 2–5 cm long; it is dioecious with male and female catkins on separate plants. The male catkins are silvery at first, turning yellow when the pollen is released; the female catkins are greenish-grey, maturing in early summer to release the numerous tiny seeds embedded in white cottony down which assists wind dispersal.

Naming

"S. cinerea" is an invasive species in New Zealand and is listed on the National Pest Plant Accord, which means it cannot be sold or distributed.

Distribution

The two subspecies are:
⤷ "S. c. cinerea" - central and eastern Europe, western Asia, shrub to 4–6 m tall, with smooth bark, leaves densely hairy below with pale yellow-grey hairs, stipules large, persistent until autumn
⤷ "S. c. oleifolia" Macreight - western Europe, northwest Africa, shrub or tree to 10–15 m tall, with furrowed bark, leaves thinly hairy below with dark red-brown hairs, stipules small, early deciduous

Some overlap in the distributions occurs, with both occurring in a broad band north to south through France, and scattered specimens of "S. c. cinerea" west to Ireland, western France, and Morocco; scattered specimens of "S. c. oleifolia" occur east to the Netherlands. Specimens of "S. c. oleifolia" in southern Scandinavia are planted or naturalised, not native. Intermediate specimens also occur.

Habitat

It usually grows in wetlands. The two subspecies differ slightly in requirements, with "S. c. cinerea" generally restricted to basic marshland and fen habitats, while "S. c. oleifolia" is less demanding, occurring in both alkaline marshes and acidic bogs and streamsides.