caprea

A large shrub or small tree from 15-40ft that grows wild in Western Europe and all the way East to China and Japan. In Japan it is called Salix bakko, which translated means Big Momma Willow! Leaves are much broader than most willows. Flower buds are shiny chestnut brown and open to much-prized catkins that are soft, silky and silvery to 3in long; they are produced early in the year long before the leaves develop. Male flowers turn yellow with pollen, whereas the female catkins become green. A non-fussy shrub that will grow anywhere with dry to moist soil. This species has naturalized in parts of the Province of Quebec.