Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus Salix, comprise around 400 species of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Salix alba, the white willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia. The name derives from the white tone to the undersides of the leaves.
Salix caprea, known as goat willow, pussy willow or great sallow, is a common species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia.
Salix viminalis, the basket willow, common osier or osier, is a species of willow native to Europe, Western Asia, and the Himalayas.
Salix babylonica is a species of willow native to dry areas of northern China, but cultivated for millennia elsewhere in Asia, being traded along the Silk Road to southwest Asia and Europe.
Salix nigra, the black willow, is a species of willow native to eastern North America, from New Brunswick and southern Ontario west to Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and Texas.
Salix lasiolepis is a species of willow native to western North America.
Salix exigua is a species of willow native to most of North America except for the southeast and far north, occurring from Alaska east to New Brunswick, and south to northern Mexico. It is considered a threatened species in Massachusetts while in Connecticut, Maryland, and New Hampshire it is considered endangered.
Salix myrsinifolia, known as the dark-leaved willow or myrsine-leaved willow, is a species of willow native to Europe and Western Siberia. It forms a 2–5 m (6.6–16.4 ft) high shrub. In the north it often becomes a tree up to 8 m (26 ft) tall.
Salix arbusculoides is a species of flowering plant in the willow family known by the common name little tree willow. It is native to northern North America, where its distribution extends across Alaska and most of Canada.
Salix brachycarpa is a species of flowering plant in the willow family known by the common names barren-ground willow, small-fruit willow and shortfruit willow.
Salix pulchra is a species of flowering plant in the willow family, known by the common names diamondleaf willow, tealeaf willow, and thin red willow. It is native to northern North America, where it occurs in Alaska, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The species is also found in northern British Columbia, and occurs in Russia.
Salix barclayi, or Barclay's willow, is a species of willow native to North America, found primarily in the Northwestern area of the United States and Canada. It grows near lakes and streams at elevation. It is a shrub, that can grow up to 2.5 m. (8 ft.) tall and tends to be slender. Leaves are elliptic to obovate, 2–6 cm long and 1–2.5 cm wide. Leaves are hairy when young, with midrib hairs lasting into maturity. Catkins are on short, leafy peduncles. Staminate catkins are 3 cm long with 2 stamens, while pistillate catkins are 2.5–5 cm long and glabrous.
Salix repens, the creeping willow, is a small, shrubby species of willow in the family Salicaceae, growing up to 1.5 metres in height. Found amongst sand dunes and heathlands, it is a polymorphic species, with a wide range of variants. In the UK, at least, these range from small, prostrate, hairless plants at one end of the spectrum to taller, erect or ascending silky-leaved shrubs at the other. This wide variation in form has resulted in numerous synonyms.
Salix silesiaca, the Silesian willow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae. It is native to the Sudeten and Carpathian Mountains, and the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula. A shrub reaching 6 ft (2 m), it is considered to be a member of the informal sallow group.
Salix fruticulosa is a species of flowering plant in the willow family Salicaceae, native to Nepal, the eastern Himalayas, and Tibet. It is common in sub-alpine silver fir–birch forests from 2,800 to 3,800 m. Although there may some confusion about which species of dwarf willow is intended, Salix fruticulosa is listed by the Royal Horticultural Society as available from commercial suppliers.
Salix pyrenaica, the Pyrenean willow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, native to the Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains. A shrub or subshrub with procumbent main stems, and ascending branches usually reaching 1.5 ft (0.5 m), it is occasionally available in commerce.
Salix uva-ursi, the bearberry willow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, native to subarctic and subalpine parts of northeastern North America and Greenland. A prostrate shrub, the extreme southern edge of its range is high in the mountains of northern New England.
Salix × rubra, the green-leaved willow or red osier, is a naturally occurring hybrid species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae. It is the result of crosses between Salix purpurea and Salix viminalis. It is native to a large part of Europe, found where the parent species' ranges overlap. The straight, flexible stems are prized by basketmakers. There are a number of cultivars, with the fastigiate 'Eugenei' being the best known.
