Tree Identification — Willow & the Bushcraft Uses — Forest Fundamentals Bushcraft Fundamentals how-to Series

by Forest Fundamentals on March 18, 2026

Tree ID: The Willow (Salix sp.) — Identification & Bushcraft Uses

This month's tree identification guide covers one of the most versatile species in the UK — the White Willow.

This month, we are looking at one of my favourites, possibly due to the fact that it's what we have most of on our site, so it's what I have the most experience with: the Willow (Salix sp.).

There are a few varieties within this species, but I will pick the most prevalent on my site: the White Willow (Salix alba).

Bushcraft Uses

Basketry & Harvesting

Widely used in basketry, its supple branches are annually harvestable and, similar to last month's Hazel, the branches can regenerate with ease, with almost no detriment to the main tree.

Cordage & Bark

In spring, when the sap is pumping through the branches, the bark is very easily removed. Once processed further by scraping the outer bark, this can be boiled with wood ash to make extremely strong fibres for cordage. The bark can also be cut into strips for baskets, or folded into great tubular quivers, bowls, and pots.

Campfire Cooking

The ease of peeling makes this my go-to stick for campfire cooking; once a green stick is peeled, the wood below is completely sterile.

Nature's Aspirin

One of the miracles of the species, and the source of its namesake, is the presence of the compound salicin, which is converted in the body once consumed into salicylic acid, or "aspirin," making it a natural anti-inflammatory and pain reliever.

Identification Guide — White Willow (Salix alba)

1 Silhouette & Shape

White Willow is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree with a broad, open crown. It often has a leaning or irregular form, with long, sweeping branches that give the tree a graceful, slightly drooping silhouette. Mature trees can reach considerable height and spread, especially near water.

Notorious for cracking, large branches will often continue living if still attached, or even root and form a new tree. When branches overhang and droop into water, they can convert into roots.

White Willow full tree silhouette showing broad open crown and sweeping branches

White Willow (Salix alba) — full tree silhouette and shape

2 Bark Colour & Texture

The bark is grey to grey-brown. On young trees it is relatively smooth, but with age it becomes deeply fissured and rough, forming long vertical ridges.

On older specimens the bark can become quite thick and rugged, often breaking into long plates that run vertically along the trunk. These fissures deepen over time, giving mature trees a distinctly coarse and weathered appearance.

White Willow bark close-up showing deep vertical fissures and grey-brown colouring

White Willow bark — deeply fissured and grey-brown on mature trees

3 Twigs

Twigs are slender, flexible, and yellow-brown to olive in colour. They are smooth and often slightly glossy, becoming more brittle with age.

Field Tip

You will often find wind-blown twigs stuck up in the branches or around the base. These make excellent kindling!

White Willow twigs showing slender yellow-brown flexible stems

White Willow twigs — slender, flexible, and yellow-brown to olive

4 Buds

Buds are small, narrow, and pointed, lying close against the twig. They are reddish-brown and covered by a single bud scale in a spiral arrangement around the twig, a characteristic feature of willows.

White Willow buds showing small narrow reddish-brown buds against the twig

White Willow buds — small, narrow, and reddish-brown

5 Catkins

White Willow produces catkins in early spring, before or as the leaves emerge. Male catkins are yellow and showy due to abundant pollen, while female catkins are greener and more slender. The species is dioecious, with male and female catkins on separate trees.

White Willow catkins in early spring showing yellow male catkins

White Willow catkins — yellow male catkins appear in early spring

6 Leaves & Fruit

Leaves are long, narrow, and lance-shaped with finely serrated edges. They are grey-green above and distinctly silvery-white and silky beneath, giving the tree its common name.

The fruit resembles a small capsule that splits open to release tiny seeds with cottony hairs, allowing them to disperse by wind. They can be a nightmare for hay fever sufferers.