Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District
Pussy Willow
Salix discolor
[C-value
2]
Willow family (Salicaceae)
Blooms April -
mid-June
The native Pussy Willow is common in our area. It prefers full sun and wet to moist soil with organic matter. Habitats include openings in floodplain forests, marshes, shrub swamps, fens and low areas along streams and ponds. This shrub is about 6-20' tall, forming single or multiple trunks. Actively growing stems/twigs are yellowish green to light green with alternate leaves up to 4" long and 1½" across, medium to dark green on the upperside with a lighter green underside. Pussy Willow is dioecious with either all male or all female flowers on separate shrubs. Catkins of either male or female flowers develop on second-year twigs. As the male catkins begin to open, they are covered with dense silky white-gray hairs. Shortly later, they become larger in size (up to 1" long) with many yellowish stamens. The greenish female catkins (1-4" long) are spike-like racemes of female flowers.
Pussy Willow at Lyon Forest Preserve April 9, 2014
Pussy Willow with female catkins at Lyon Forest Preserve April 12, 2015
Pussy Willow branch with female catkins
Pussy Willow twig with male catkins having many yellow stamens
Pussy Willow foliage at Lyon Forest Preserve August 8, 2017 (note how the leaf underside is a lighter green)
Pussy Willow tree trunk
In old Europe, the bark of a willow would be boiled and used for a headache. Scientists' studies of this analgesic quality led to the development of aspirin, the most widely used drug in the world.
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