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Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Salix cinerea — gray willow

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New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

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Facts

To tell gray willow from its relatives, it is helpful to peel the bark off a twig and note the fine, white, vertical ridges present beneath. It is native to Europe and western Asia. Many willows (Salix species) have bitter-tasting bark that contains derivatives of salicylic acid, the main compound in aspirin.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes

Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
Growth form
the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)
Leaf type
the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
Leaves per node
there is one leaf per node along the stem
Leaf blade edges
  • the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
  • the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
Leaf duration
the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
armature on plant
the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns
Leaf blade length
65–105 mm
Leaf blade width
22–52 mm
Leaf stalk
the leaves have leaf stalks
Fruit type (general)
the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
Bark texture
  • the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
  • the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
Twig winter color
  • brown
  • yellow
Bud scale number
there is one scale on the winter bud, and it covers the scale like a cap
Show all characteristics

  • Buds or leaf scars

    Bud scale number
    there is one scale on the winter bud, and it covers the scale like a cap
    Bud scar shape (Fraxinus)
    NA
    Collateral buds
    there are no collateral buds on the sides of the branches
    Leaf scar arrangement
    there is one leaf scar per node on the stem or twig
    Superposed buds
    there are no superposed buds on the branch
    Winter bud scale hairs
    the winter bud scales are hairy
    Winter bud scales
    the winter bud is perulate (partially or completely covered with one or more scales)
    Winter bud stalks
    the winter buds have no stalks

  • Flowers

    Anther color
    there is a noticeable pink, reddish or purplish tint to the anthers
    Carpels fused
    the carpels are fused to one another
    Enlarged sterile flowers
    there are no enlarged sterile flowers on the plant
    Flower petal color
    NA
    Flower symmetry
    there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
    Hairs on ovary (Amelanchier)
    NA
    Hypanthium present
    the flower does not have a hypanthium
    Inflorescence position
    the inflorescences grow on the twigs
    Inflorescence type
    the inflorescence is an ament (catkin; slender, usually pendulous inflorescence with crowded unisexual flowers)
    Number of pistils
    1
    Ovary position
    the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower lacks sepals and petals
    Petal appearance
    NA
    Petal fusion
    NA
    Sepal appearance
    NA
    Sepal cilia (Ilex)
    NA
    Sepal tip glands
    NA
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    NA
    Stamen number
    1 or 2
    Stamen position relative to petals
    NA
    Stamens fused
    the stamens are not fused to one another

  • Fruits or seeds

    Berry color
    NA
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
    Fruit type (specific)
    the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
    Nut with spines (Fagaceae)
    NA
    Wings on fruit
    there are no wings on the fruit

  • Glands or sap

    Sap color
    the sap is clear and watery
    Stalked glands on fruit (Rosa)
    NA

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant is a shrub (i.e., a woody plant with several stems growing from the base)

  • Leaves

    Hairs on underside of leaf blade
    the underside of the leaf has hairs on it
    Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
    the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
    Leaf blade base shape
    the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
    Leaf blade base symmetry
    the leaf blade base is symmetrical
    Leaf blade bloom
    there is a noticeable powdery or waxy bloom on the underside of the leaf
    Leaf blade edges
    • the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
    • the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
    Leaf blade edges (Acer)
    NA
    Leaf blade flatness
    the edges of the leaf are curled under
    Leaf blade hairs
    • at least some of the hairs on the leaf blade have glands at their tips
    • the leaf blade has tangled or woolly-looking hairs, without glands
    Leaf blade length
    65–105 mm
    Leaf blade scales
    there are no scales on the leaf blades
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is elliptic (widest near the middle and tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is oblanceolate (lance-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
    • the leaf blade is obovate (egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
    Leaf blade texture
    • the leaf blade is coriaceous (has a firm, leathery texture)
    • the leaf blade is herbaceous (has a leafy texture)
    Leaf blade translucent dots
    there are no translucent dots on the leaf blade
    Leaf blade vein pattern
    the main veins of the leaf blade are pinnate (the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the main central vein) and non-arcuate (not arched towards the leaf tip)
    Leaf blade veins
    the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base toward the tip
    Leaf blade width
    22–52 mm
    Leaf duration
    the leaves drop off in winter (or they wither but persist on the plant)
    Leaf form
    the plant is broad-leaved (with broadly flattened leaf blades)
    Leaf lobe tips (Quercus)
    NA
    Leaf midrib glands
    the midrib of the leaf blade lacks glands on the upper surface
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
    the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
    Leaf stalk nectaries
    there are no nectaries on the leaf stalk
    Leaf stalk shape
    the leaf stalk is not flattened
    Leaf teeth
    • the edge of the leaf blade is entire (has no teeth or lobes)
    • the leaf blade margin is crenate (with rounded teeth) or crenulate (with tiny, rounded teeth)
    • the leaf blade margin is undulate (wavy), but does not have teeth
    Leaf teeth hairs (Carya)
    NA
    Leaf type
    the leaf blade is simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Leaves per node
    there is one leaf per node along the stem
    Specific leaf type
    the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
    Stipules
    • the plant has stipules
    • there are no stipules on the plant, or they fall off as the leaf expands

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Maine
    • Massachusetts
    • Rhode Island
    Specific habitat
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • meadows or fields
    • shores of rivers or lakes

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of an odor, or it has an unpleasant or repellant odor

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Aerial roots
    the plant has no aerial roots
    Bark texture
    • the bark of an adult plant is ridged or plated
    • the bark of an adult plant is thin and smooth
    Branch brittleness (willows only)
    the branches are flexible, and do not break easily
    Branch cross-section
    the branch is circular in cross-section, or it has five or more sides, so that there are no sharp angles
    First-year cane (Rubus)
    NA
    Lenticels on twigs
    there are no lenticels on the twigs, or they are very hard to see
    Pith shape
    the outline of the pith in a twig is roughly round
    Pith type
    the pith inside the twig is solid, completely filled with spongy tissue
    Short shoots
    there are no peg- or knob-like shoots present
    Twig bloom
    there is no bloom on the twig
    Twig hairs
    the twigs have hairs, but the hairs do not have glands
    Twig papillae (Vaccinium species only)
    NA
    Twig scales
    there are no scales on the twig surface
    Twig winter color
    • brown
    • yellow
    Wings on branch
    the branch does not have wings on it
    armature on plant
    the plant does not have spines, prickles, or thorns

Wetland status

Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally in non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FACW)

New England distribution and conservation status

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
present
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
absent
Rhode Island
present
Vermont
absent

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

ssp. cinerea

Massachusetts
not applicable (S-rank: SNA)

ssp. oleifolia

Massachusetts
not applicable (S-rank: SNA)

Native to North America?

No

Sometimes confused with

Salix aurita:
floral bracts usually light brown to medium red-brown, staminate aments 15.5–21.5 x 10–15 mm, and leaf blades conspicuously rugose-veiny (vs. S. cinerea, with floral bracts brown to dark brown, at least near the apex, staminate aments 26–39 x 12–26 mm, and leaf blades not or only somewhat rugose-veiny).
Salix humilis:
decorticated wood smooth, with small points, or with a few short ridges generally shorter than 5 mm, and leaf blades 2.3–7.5 times as long as wide, lacking or with rudimentary stipules on the first leaves (vs. S. cinerea, with decorticated wood of 1- to 4-year-old branches with many prominent ridges, some longer than 20 mm, and leaf blades 1.8–4.3 times as long as wide, with foliaceous stipules on the first leaves).

Synonyms

  • Salix atrocinerea Brot.
  • Salix cinerea ssp. atrocinerea (Brot.) Guinier

Family

Salicaceae

Genus

Salix

Notes on subspecies and varieties in New England

Salix cinerea L. ssp. cinerea is known from MA, RI.S. cinerea ssp. oleifolia (Sm.) Macreight is known from CT, MA, ME, RI.

Help

From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae

9.  Salix cinerea L. E

gray willow. 9b. Salix atrocinerea Brot.; S. cinerea L. ssp. atrocinerea (Brot.) Guinier • CT, MA, ME, RI; most frequent along the coastal plain. Fields, roadsides, waste areas, pond shores. Two subspecies are recognized (rather than two species) because most of the characters used in various European floras do not hold on the North American continent.

1a.  Mature leaf blades pubescent with gray hairs on the abaxial surface (i.e., red-brown hairs absent), usually gray-green and dull on the adaxial surface; branchlets ± gray at maturity and usually persistently pubescent … 9a. S. cinerea ssp. cinerea

1b.  Mature leaf blades pubescent with both gray and red-brown hairs on the abaxial surface, usually dark green and sometimes sublustrous on the adaxial surface; branchlets red to red-brown at maturity and usually becoming glabrate later in season 
 … 9b. S. cinerea ssp. oleifolia (Sm.) Macreight

Subspecies cinerea is known from MA, RI. Subspecies oleifolia is known from CT, MA, ME, RI.