Salix discolor

Salix discolor is a pussy willow native to cold regions of North America. It grows as a shrub or small tree up to 20 feet high and 4-12 feet wide. The leaves are broad and oval with shiny green upper surfaces and downy gray-white beneath. The flowers, produced before its leaves, are soft silky catkins. Plants are dioecious with male plants producing the prized silky pearl-gray pussy willows. The female catkins are light green with the seeds embedded in cottony down. First Nations people used the bark and leaves as a painkiller. In the landscape, use in difficult to plant areas such as along streams, ponds or in low spots and in rain gardens and as an informal hedge. Avoid planting close to foundation walls and drains. Stems with male catkins make for great indoor arrangements. The male flowers provide pollen for bees and the foliage is a larval host for up to 18 species of native butterflies and moths. A Canadian native from BC to New Brunswick. Photo: Wikimedia.