Crack willow

Crack Willow

©Brian Eversham

Crack Willow

©Brian Eversham

Crack Willow

©Brian Eversham

Crack willow

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Scientific name: Salix fragilis
So-named because its gnarled trunk can split as it grows, the Crack willow can be seen along riverbanks, around lakes and in wet woodlands. Like other willows, it produces catkins in spring.

Top facts

Stats

Height: 20-25m

Conservation status

Common.

When to see

January to December

About

The Crack willow is a large willow tree found along riverbanks, around lakes and in wet woodland. It is often planted alongside rivers and dykes to stabilise their banks, and is usually pollarded to allow light through to the water. These pollards can be contorted and gnarled, and often so full of crevices that other species start to grow from them, such as Ash and Holly. Crack willow is so-named because its trunk can grow so fast that it can split open under its own weight.

What to look for

The trunk of the Crack willow is often gnarled and cracked trunk. A regularly pollarded tree, it has long, dark green leaves that are glossier than those of the White Willow, with more jagged teeth along the edges.

Where to find

Widespread.

Did you know?

The Weeping willow is a cultivated hybrid between Crack willow and a Chinese species. This distinctive tree, with its long, drooping branches, famously features in the 'Willow Pattern' of 18th century ceramics, which is likely based on a Chinese legend of star-crossed lovers.