I think these are the female catkins of the Grey Willow or Lesser Sallow, Salix cinerea ssp. oleifolia. This plant could also be the hybrid with Goat Willow or Greater Sallow, Salix x reichardtii.
Identification of sallows is very difficult - and the books don't seem entirely consistent. Generally I tend to think that if the shoots and bud scales are fuzzily hairy, then it is more likely that I am looking at one of the two subspecies of Salix cinerea. I'll try to come back to some marked trees throughout the year to try to get an overall picture of the plants concerned.
Up until today there has been not much sign of reddish tinges to any of the male catkins I've seen, but today I think I could just convince myself of this on some of the younger catkins just as the stamens start to extend. Actually this is a feature only mentioned in CTW (Clapham, Tutin and Warburg), and not in any of the other guides I have, not even the larger CTM (Clapham Tutin and Moore, 1985).
Identification of sallows is very difficult - and the books don't seem entirely consistent. Generally I tend to think that if the shoots and bud scales are fuzzily hairy, then it is more likely that I am looking at one of the two subspecies of Salix cinerea. I'll try to come back to some marked trees throughout the year to try to get an overall picture of the plants concerned.
Up until today there has been not much sign of reddish tinges to any of the male catkins I've seen, but today I think I could just convince myself of this on some of the younger catkins just as the stamens start to extend. Actually this is a feature only mentioned in CTW (Clapham, Tutin and Warburg), and not in any of the other guides I have, not even the larger CTM (Clapham Tutin and Moore, 1985).
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