Salix discolor Muhl.

Pussy willow, American willow

About plant names...

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:

Illinois Wildflowers

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

EFloras

The Virginia Tech Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation

Male (staminate) flowers. · 7/29/2023 · Mt. Battie, Camden, Maine ID is uncertain

5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

3/23/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 9.9 cm)

4/6/2021 · Otter Brook Trail, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.4 cm)

5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 8" (14 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

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
≈ 2½ × 2½" (7.3 × 7 cm) ID is uncertain

The gall is Rhabdophaga strobiloides, or willow conegall midge · 6/26/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

3/28/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 3 × 4½" (7.9 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

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
≈ 6 × 4½" (16 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

5/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm) ID is uncertain

Male catkins. · 4/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

The gall is Rhabdophaga strobiloides, or willow conegall midge · 6/26/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 6" (21 × 15 cm)

Salix discolor description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Aug 2023.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

7/29/2023 · Mt. Battie (Elev. 780'), Camden, Maine ID is uncertain

5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4 × 4½" (10 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain

5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 8" (17 × 21 cm) ID is uncertain

4/6/2021 · Otter Brook Trail, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 5 × 4" (13 × 10 cm)

Male (staminate) flowers. · 4/3/2010 · Mt. Battie, Camden, Maine
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm) ID is uncertain

5/4/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 6" (14 × 15 cm) ID is uncertain

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
≈ 4½ × 4" (11 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

Female catkins. · 4/6/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

3/23/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

4/3/2010 · Mt. Battie, Camden, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (14 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

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
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm)

Male catkins. · 4/7/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 5" (17 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain

4/24/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 2½ × 2½" (6.6 × 7.1 cm) ID is uncertain

Range: Zones 4-8:

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