Grey Willow

It is a deciduous shrub or small tree growing 4–10 metres (13–30 ft) tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, 2–9 cm (1–3+1⁄2 in) long and 1–3 cm (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 in) broad (exceptionally up to 16 cm long and 5 cm broad), green above, hairy below, with a crenate margin. The flowers are produced in early spring in catkins 2–5 cm long; it is dioecious with male and female catkins on separate plants. The male catkins are silvery at first, turning yellow when the pollen is released; the female catkins are greenish grey, maturing in early summer to release the numerous tiny seeds embedded in white cottony down which assists wind dispersal.

Grey willow grows in wetlands, moist depressions, ditches, embankments, banks of stagnant or slow-moving water bodies, and forest edges, where it encounters low-lying damp situations with waterlogged and nutrient-poor soils. S. cinerea is a pioneer species that rapidly colonizes disturbed sites. A common herbivore of Salix cinerea is Phratora vulgatissima, which prefers and is more common on female plants. Anthocoris nemorum, a natural enemy of Phratora vulgatissima, is also more common on S. cinerea.