Salix discolor Muhl. Salix ancorifera Fernald Salix conformis Forbes Salix crassa Barratt Salix discolor Muhl. var. overi C.R. Ball Salix discolor Muhl. var. prinoides (Pursh) Andersson Salix discolor Muhl. var. rigidior (Andersson) C.K. Schneid. Salix fuscata Pursh Salix prinoides Pursh Salix sensitiva Barratt Salix squamata Rydb. Pussy willow, American willow
Pussy willows are North American native plants. Identification: Pussy willows are highly variable in appearance, in part because they hybridize naturally with related plants. Typically shrubs, they may reach 30' (9.1 m) in height, making them small trees. Young stems are yellowish- to light-green, becoming red or brown when they get larger, and finally gray and furrowed. Their “trunks” may be single or multiply branched. Leaves are alternate, roughly elliptical in shape, with a prominent central vein, 1-5" (3-13 cm) long, 2 to 5 times longer than they are wide. Flowers are beautiful soft silvery-gray ovals, actually types of catkins, typically about 1" (2.5 cm) long, but up to 4½" (12 cm). The male catkins produce, well, zillions of teeny yellow stamens with yellow tips; female catkins are greenish. Fruits are small brown capsules, ¼-⅜" (7-12 mm) long, vaguely banana-shaped, that look like buds. Online References:
Salix discolor at Illinois Wildflowers Salix discolor on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database Salix discolor at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Salix discolor on eFloras Salix discolor at the Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation Male (staminate) flowers. · 12/12/2020 · Mt. Battie, Camden, Maine 5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 3/23/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts The cone-like structure on the tip is a gall created by an insect, Rhabdophaga strobiloides · 11/17/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 3/28/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts The cone-like structure on the tip is a gall created by an insect, Rhabdophaga strobiloides · 7/9/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 5/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts Male catkins. · 4/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts Salix discolor description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
12/12/2020 · Mt. Battie (Elev. 780'), Camden, Maine 5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts Male (staminate) flowers. · 4/3/2010 · Mt. Battie, Camden, Maine 5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts The cone-like structure on the tip is a gall created by an insect, Rhabdophaga strobiloides · 11/17/2009 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts Female catkins. · 4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts 3/23/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts 12/12/2020 · Mt. Battie, Camden, Maine The cone-like structure on the tip is a gall created by an insect, Rhabdophaga strobiloides · 11/15/2011 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts Male catkins. · 4/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts 4/24/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts Range: Zones 4-8:
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