Salix caprea
Goat willow
How do you recognise goat willow?
The leaves are 5–12 cm long and 3–8 cm wide, markedly broader than on most other willows, and downy on the underside. The catkins are 3–7 cm long: the male ones yellow and fluffy, the female ones greener and slimmer.
What is it confused with?
Other willows usually have narrow, lance-shaped leaves. Goat willow is told by its broad leaf and the down beneath it.
Where does goat willow grow, and when does it flower?
Goat willow grows at forest edges, in clearings, along ditches, and around yards throughout the country. It flowers in spring before the leaves open.
Can you collect it for a herbarium?
Goat willow is common, and a leafy twig tip is enough. In spring a flowering catkin can be collected too. On the label: There are dozens of willow species. Write goat willow on the label only if the leaf is broad and downy underneath.
Did you know?
The fluffy yellow male catkins are the familiar pussy willow, and they open before any leaves. Goat willow is one of the first nectar plants of spring, and matters to insects waking after winter.
Where does goat willow grow in Finland?
The map shows where the species has been recorded. Darker squares mean more observations.
Loading the map
Observations: GBIF · Map: CARTO, OpenStreetMap
Sources: fi.wikipedia.org
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