Appearance
It is a weak-wooded deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 6 m tall, with brown shoots. The leaves are oval, 3–14 cm long and 1-3.5 cm broad, green above and downy grey-white beneath.The flowers are soft silky silvery catkins, borne in early spring before the new leaves appear, with the male and female catkins on different plants; the male catkins mature yellow at pollen release.
The fruit is a small capsule 7–12 mm long containing numerous minute seeds embedded in cottony down.
Uses
Like other willows, it contains salicin, and was used by Native Americans as a painkiller.As with the closely related "Salix caprea", it is also often grown for cut flowers. Pussy willow has further cultural information and other uses.
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