Salix alba 'Sericea'

Silver willow is a member of the willow or Salicaceae family and is native to Europe, North Africa and central Asia. It is known for its silver foliage.

• Leaves are alternate, narrowly lanceolate in shape and finely serrated, 10 cm long and 2 cm across, with silver-gray colour.
• Species is dioecious. Male (staminate) flowers are in narrowly cylindrical catkins up to 6 cm long, on short side shoots up to 2 cm long that have 1-2 small leaves. Each male flower consists of 2 stamens with yellow anthers.
• Female flowers become mature seed capsules in 1 month, turning brown and splitting open to release their tiny seeds which are embedded in fine cottony hairs that facilitate wind dissemination of the seeds.