White Willow

The bark of this tree is furrowed, and gray to brown in color. The branches are olive-green. The yellow to brown twigs often droop slightly, but not enough to confuse the aspect of this tree with that of the Weeping Willow. In the early 1960s, the largest specimen of this species known in Ohio, in Ashtabula County, was 60 feet tall and a remarkable 8 feet in diameter. This tree grows well in wet soils along stream banks and in valleys. The White Willow was introduced into the eastern part of this country from Europe during Colonial times. Today, it is widely distributed in Ohio. People use the wood of this tree for fence posts and fuel. Also, the tree is planted for its shade and as an ornamental.