Salicaceae

English: Willow family
Dutch: Wilgenfamilie

The Salicaceae is a family of deciduous trees and shrubs comprising about 56 genera and 1,220 species. They are distributed worldwide and include fast-growing pioneer species such as willows and poplars, often found near water.

Key Identifying Features

• Leaves: Simple, alternate, often narrow and elongated (willows) or triangular (poplars)
• Flowers: Dioecious; small flowers in catkins appearing before or with leaves
• Fruits: Small capsules releasing numerous seeds with cottony hairs
• Bark: Variable; deeply furrowed in mature poplars, smooth in young willows

Parent: Plantae