Side by side

Goat willow or grey willow? How to tell them apart

Salix caprea · Salix cinerea

You can tell a goat willow by its broad, oval leaf with a grey-felted underside and twigs that soon become hairless; a grey willow has a narrower leaf, twigs that stay felted into their second year and clear ridges on the wood beneath the bark.

Peel a strip of bark from a two- or three-year-old twig: on the grey willow you will see distinct lengthwise ridges on the wood, on the goat willow the wood is smooth. Feel the twigs too: felted on the grey willow, soon hairless on the goat willow. The goat willow’s leaf is broadly oval, the grey willow’s narrower, obovate to lance-shaped.

Updated on 11 October 2026

Photo: Willow, CC BY-SA 2.5 · source

Goat willow Salix caprea

Photo: AnRo0002, CC0 · source

Grey willow Salix cinerea

Goat willow and grey willow side by side
	Goat willow	Grey willow
Leaves	Alternate, broadly oval, 5–10 cm, with a short tip that is often bent to one side; edge wavy and irregularly toothed. Underside grey-felted, upper side dull and slightly wrinkled.	Alternate, 4–10 cm, obovate to lanceolate with a short, often bent tip and a wavy, irregularly toothed edge; upper side dull grey-green, underside grey-felted, sometimes with rusty hairs.
Flowering	Fat, silvery catkins in March; on male trees they turn golden yellow (March–April).	Catkins in March–April, before the leaves; the male catkins turn golden yellow (March–April).
Fruit	Fluffy seeds in May.	Fluffy seeds in May.
Bark	Grey, smooth for a long time, later cracking into diamonds. Buds large and red-brown.	Twigs grey-felted, even in their second year; under the bark of older twigs the wood has distinct lengthwise ridges.
Shape and height	Broadleaf tree, 3–10 m	Shrub, 3–6 m
Site	Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, moist to wet	Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, moist to wet
Native to Belgium	Yes	Yes
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds	–
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous	Not known to be poisonous
Pruning months	April–May	April–May

The best feature in each season

Spring: Both flower in March–April, before the leaves, with silvery catkins that turn golden yellow with pollen on male plants. The plump catkins of the goat willow are one of the earliest food sources for bees and bumblebees.
Summer: The goat willow has broadly oval leaves of 5–10 cm with a short tip that is often twisted to one side; the grey willow has narrower, dull grey-green leaves, grey-felted beneath and sometimes with rusty hairs.
Autumn: The shape helps: the goat willow often becomes a small tree with a broad, rounded crown; the grey willow stays a wide shrub with many stems from the base.
Winter: The buds of the goat willow are large and reddish-brown, on twigs that are hairless; on the grey willow the twigs are grey-felted. If in doubt, the ridges under the bark settle it.

Where do they grow?

Both are native. The goat willow is a pioneer of woodland edges, waste ground and clearings, even on drier soil. The grey willow grows in wet places: along ditches, in marshes, wet alder woods and silted-up ponds. They hybridise easily, and then you see intermediate forms.

Which one for your garden?

The goat willow suits an ordinary garden, a wildlife hedge or a woodland edge: coppice it low every few years and it stays small. In March its catkins are one of the most important food sources for bees and bumblebees.
The grey willow is too tall and too wide for a small, dry garden; on wet ground, by a ditch or pond, it is superb, with plenty of nesting places for birds. If you want the golden catkins, choose a male plant of either.

Did you know? The soft, silver-grey ‘pussy willow’ catkins people put in a vase in March come from male goat willows; the female catkins are green and inconspicuous and produce fluffy seeds in May.

Goat willow or grey willow? How to tell them apart

The best feature in each season

Where do they grow?

Which one for your garden?

Read on

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