Willow Identification Key: Salix viminalis

Common Name:

Scientific Name:

New Zealand Clones:

Female: NCCB, Bowles
Male: Praecox, Black Osier, M, Gigantea and Salix kinuyanagi (aka Salix viminalis Kinuyanagi)

Technical Description:

Habit: Shrub or small tree, up to 8 m high, with several upright stems.

Shoots: Green to yellowish green, sometimes yellowish brown to reddish brown; densely hairy at first, becoming hairless later; long, straight and flexible.

Leaves: Rather erect, 6-18 cm long, 0.5-2 cm wide; linear to lanceolate; not toothed; dark shining green above, usually covered with whitish or greyish silky down; not bitter.

Catkins: Male and female; cylindrical, 1.5-5 cm long; appearing before or as leaves emerge.

Comments: The most common species of osier willow in New Zealand. Widely planted for riverbank protection and common on lakesides and riverbeds from Hawkes Bay southwards. Distinctive leaves with toothless, inrolled margins. Used for basket making. Most common cultivars are Salix viminalis Gigantea and Salix kinuyanagi (aka Salix viminalis Kinuyanagi).