Discover
Identify
Record
Purple Willow - Salix purpurea
A spreading to erect shrub varying in height from 1.5 to 5 metres. Bark reveals yellow beneath when peeled. Twigs sometimes tinged purple, but not always. Leaves often opposite or sub opposite, linear-oblong, pointed, slightly bluish green, untoothed. Catkins appear before the leaves, 2 to 4 cm reddish or purple tinged, often opposite, and often curved.
Wet ground, marsh areas, wet ditch banks, water margins.
Catkins March and April (slightly later further north).
Deciduous.
Widespread throughout Britain and fairly frequent in some areas, particularly eastern England.
May be nearly scarce in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 67 of the 617 tetrads.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Purple Willow
- Species group:
- Trees, Shrubs & Climbers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Malpighiales
- Family:
- Salicaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 7
- First record:
- 15/10/2007 (Calow, Graham)
- Last record:
- 08/06/2021 (Gleave, Ann)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.