White Willow

White Willow 

(Salix alba), a tree of the family Salicaceae. Height of trunk, to 30 m ; diameter 1-1.5 m. The bark is dark gray with deep lengthwise fissures. The leaves are narrow and pointed, usually with silver edges. It blossoms in the spring.

The white willow grows along the banks of rivers and other bodies of water in the middle and southern zones of the European USSR and in the Caucusus, Western Siberia, and Middle Asia. In Transcaucasia and Middle Asia it is represented by special races, which are sometimes considered independent species. It is often cultivated. It reproduces on planting stakes.