A willow whose thick, glossy, dark green leaves resemble those of a laurel, and whose young leaves are sticky
Bay willow — Salix pentandra.
Nature · Shrubs
Bay willow
Native · deciduous, to about 10 m · catkins May–Jun · north England and Scotland, wet ground
Salix pentandra — Salicaceae
Bay willow is the willow that looks like a bay tree: its thick, dark, glossy leaves, sticky when young, could belong to a laurel. It is a northern native of damp riverbanks, wet woodland and boggy ground in Scotland and northern England, and, unlike most willows, its catkins come after the leaves in late spring. It is sometimes planted as an ornamental further south.
How to spot them
- ▸Thick, very glossy dark green oval leaves, 5 to 12 cm long and 2 to 5 cm wide, with finely serrated edges
- ▸Young leaves and buds sticky and aromatic; twigs green-brown, glossy and smooth
- ▸Male catkins yellow and female catkins greenish, opening after the leaves, in late spring
- ▸Bark dark grey with scaly, crossing ridges
- ▸Look-alikes: other willows have dull, hairy or narrow leaves; the glossy bay-like leaf and late catkins separate this species from all the sallows and from crack willow
How to know it
Unlike most willows, its catkins open after the leaves have expanded, in late spring
Bay willow.
Its species name refers to the five stamens usually found in each male flower, against the usual two of willows
Bay willow — pentandra means 'five men'.
A native willow of northern England and Scotland by rivers, streams and boggy ground, but only occasionally planted in the south
Bay willow.
It is vulnerable to watermark disease, a bacterial infection that kills branches and can kill the tree
Bay willow.
Its early nectar and pollen help bees and other insects, and its foliage feeds several moths
Bay willow — Salix pentandra.
Quick-fire facts
- •Salix pentandra, family Salicaceae; pentandra refers to the usual five stamens of the male flowers
- •Named for its leaves' likeness to those of the bay tree; the leaves are thick, very glossy and dark green, 5 to 12 cm by 2 to 5 cm (Woodland Trust)
- •Young leaves are sticky, older ones shiny; twigs green-brown, glossy and smooth (Woodland Trust)
- •Male catkins are yellow, female greenish, and appear after the leaves in late spring, unusually for a willow (Woodland Trust)
- •Favours damp places: streams, rivers, wet woodland and boggy ground; mainly Scotland and northern England (Woodland Trust)
- •Provides early nectar and pollen for bees and food for moth caterpillars (Woodland Trust)
- •Vulnerable to watermark disease, a bacterial infection causing dieback (Woodland Trust)
- •A quick test for willows is whether catkins appear before, with or after the leaves; this species is the classic 'after'
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Sources
- Woodland Trust — Bay Willow (Salix pentandra)