Salix purpurea

Salix purpurea (Purple Willow or Purple Osier) is a species of willow native to most of Europe and western Asia north to the British Isles, Poland, and the Baltic States.^[1][2][3]

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  It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1-3 m (rarely to 5 m) tall, with purple-brown to yellow-brown shoots, turning pale grey on old stems. The leaves are 2-8 cm (rarely to 12 cm) long and 0.3-1 cm (rarely 2 cm) wide; they are dark green above, glaucous green below, and unusually for a willow, are often arranged in opposite pairs rather than alternate. The flowers are small catkins 1.5-4.5 cm long, produced in early spring; they are often purple or red in colour, whence the name of the species (other willows mostly have whitish, yellow or green catkins).^[2][3]

It is replaced further east in Asia by the closely related species Salix sinopurpurea (syn. S. purpurea var. longipetiolatea).^[4]

As with several other willows, the shoots, called withies, are often used in basketry.^[3]

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