Side by side

Crack willow or bay willow? How to tell them apart

Salix × fragilis · Salix pentandra

How to tell them apart – crack willow: longer, narrower and less glossy leaf, and catkins as early as April; bay willow: broader, very glossy leaf that smells of bay, and catkins only in May–June.

Updated on 10 October 2026

Photo: Favasurko, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Crack willow Salix × fragilis

Photo: Credits : This image is not copyrighted and may be freely used for any purpose. Please credit the ar, Public domain · source

Bay willow Salix pentandra

How do you recognise them?

Crack willow: Willow with a long, glossy green, almost hairless leaf; the twigs snap off at the base with a crack.; Compared with bay willow: longer, narrower and less glossy leaf, and catkins as early as April.
Bay willow: Willow with a broad, very glossy leaf that smells of bay; it flowers late, in May–June.; Compared with crack willow: broader, very glossy leaf that smells of bay, and catkins only in May–June.

Crack willow and bay willow side by side
	Crack willow	Bay willow
Leaves	Alternate, 7–15 cm, lance-shaped with a long pointed tip, coarsely and somewhat irregularly toothed; glossy green above, blue-green and (almost) hairless below.	Alternate, 5–12 cm, elliptic with a short pointed tip, finely gland-toothed; glossy dark green above as if varnished, paler below. Young leaves sticky and aromatic. Small glands at the top of the leaf stalk.
Flowering	Slender catkins in April, together with the leaves; male and female on separate trees (April).	Yellow catkins, with five stamens per flower, in May–June, after the leaves have opened (May–June).
Fruit	Fluffy seeds in May–June.	The fluffy seeds are released only in late summer; the spent catkins often hang on into winter.
Bark	Grey and deeply furrowed in a network pattern. The glossy, yellowish-brown twigs break off easily at the base.	Grey-brown, later shallowly furrowed; twigs glossy reddish-brown, as if varnished.
Shape and height	Broadleaf tree, 10–20 m, often pollarded	Broadleaf tree, 5–10 m, often shrubby
Site	Full sun, any garden soil, moist to wet	Full sun, acid soil, moist to wet
Native to Belgium	Yes, long naturalised	Yes
Good for bees, butterflies and birds	–	–
Poisonous to people and pets	Not known to be poisonous	Not known to be poisonous
Pruning months	November–March	November–March

What does it mean for your garden?

Both are native and good for wildlife: choose what suits your soil, your light and the space you have.
Crack willow grows 10–20 m tall: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.

Read on

Also looks like

All species that look alike

This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.