Black willow

Leaves

Form

• Narrowly lance-shaped, thin
• Tip long-pointed, curved back, base rounded
• Stipules ear-like, persistent

Length

• 8–14 cm

Colour

• Upper surface green
• Lower surface paler
• Stipules green

Margin

• Very finely toothed
• Stipules toothed

Petiole

• Short, 3–6 mm long
• Hairy

Buds

Form

• Narrow, conical, sharp-pointed, shiny, pressed against the twig, closely spaced
• Covered with a single scale
• No true terminal bud; end bud originates as a lateral bud
• Flower buds larger than leaf buds
• Leaf scars V-shaped, with 3 vein scars
• Stipule scars on either side

Colour

• Brown to yellowish-brown

Twigs

Form

• Downy when young, with age becoming hairless
• Longitudinal ridges run down from the leaf scars
• Brittle at the base

Colour

• Light yellow to reddish-brown or purplish-brown, with age becoming grey

Flowers

Form

• Catkins erect, on short leafy shoots
• Bracts blunt-tipped, hairy on the inside

Length

• Catkins 2–7 cm
• Bracts 2–3 mm

Colour

• Bracts yellow

Structure

• Dioecious

Floral timing

• Early spring

Fruits

Form

• Capsules ovoid
• Hairless

Length

• 4–5 mm

Colour

• Light brown

Bark

Form

• Deeply furrowed into scaly, flat-topped ridges

Colour

• Very dark, black or dark brown

Size

Height

• To 12 m

Diameter

• To 30 cm

Maximum age

• 70 years

Tree form

Open-grown

Trunk

• Crooked, often forked

Crown

• Broad, irregular
• Branches spreading, often breaking away from the tree

Habitat

Site

• Moist sites, along stream banks and in swamps

Light tolerance

• Intolerant of shade

Associated species

• Red and silver maple, cottonwood, green ash, white elm, other willows

Range

Ontario to the Atlantic coast, and southward to the Gulf of Mexico