Goat Willow Seed

Goat or Pussy Willow is more an upright, deciduous shrub than tree. One of the commonest and most tolerant of our native trees. It is quite often a tough pioneer of inhospitable damp sites and thrives on poor soil. Early in spring the male flowers appear – the soft, silky, silver hairy buds which give rise to the name ‘Pussy Willow’. These turn into fluffy balls of pollen. Female flowers, on separate trees, are long green catkins that erupt into white fluff surrounding the seed in May or June. The leaf is very variable.