Side by side
White willow or butterfly bush? How to tell them apart
Salix alba · Buddleja davidii
How to tell them apart – white willow: alternate leaves and catkins; butterfly bush: shrub with long, narrow, grey-felted leaves and long flower spikes full of butterflies in summer.
How do you recognise them?
- White willow
- Long, narrow leaf, silvery-hairy on both sides; from a distance the tree looks silver-grey.
- Compared with butterfly bush: alternate leaves and catkins.
- Butterfly bush
- Shrub with long, narrow, grey-felted leaves and long flower spikes full of butterflies in summer.
| White willow | Butterfly bush | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, lance-shaped, 5–10 cm, finely toothed; both sides (especially the underside) silky and silvery-hairy. | Opposite, lance-shaped, 10–25 cm, finely toothed; white-felted underneath. |
| Flowering | Catkins in April; male and female on separate trees (April). | Long panicles of fragrant purple (or white, pink) flowers, July–September (July–September). |
| Fruit | Fluffy seeds in May–June. | Small capsules full of dust-fine seeds; a single shrub produces many thousands. |
| Bark | Grey and deeply furrowed in a network pattern. | Brown and peeling. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 15–25 m, often pollarded | Shrub, 2–4 m |
| Site | Full sun, any garden soil, moist to wet | Full sun, any garden soil, dry |
| Native to Belgium | Yes | No, naturalised |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees, butterflies and birds | Yes, for bees and butterflies |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | November–March | March–April |
What does it mean for your garden?
- White willow is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
- White willow grows 15–25 m tall: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: White willow
- Plant profile: Butterfly bush
- White willow: when and how to prune
- Butterfly bush: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
- Osier or white willow
- White willow or crack willow
- Almond willow or white willow
- Purple willow or white willow
- Peach or white willow
- White willow or weeping willow
- Californian lilac or butterfly bush
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.