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{{dablink|For the song "Goat Willow" by Hawkwind, see [[Hall of the Mountain Grill]]}}
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Salix caprea''
| status = LR/lc
| image = Salix caprea8.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Goat Willow male catkins
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Malpighiales]]
| familia = [[Salicaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Willow|Salix]]''
| species = '''''S. caprea'''''
| binomial = ''Salix caprea''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
'''''Salix caprea''''' ('''Goat Willow''', also known as the '''Pussy Willow''' or '''Great Sallow'''), is a common species of [[willow]] native to [[Europe]] and western and central [[Asia]].<ref name=meikle>Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook 4. ISBN 0-901158-07-0.</ref>
It is a [[deciduous]] [[shrub]] or small [[tree]], reaching a height of 6-12 m, rarely to 20 m. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 3-12 cm long and from 2-8 cm wide, broader than most other willows. The [[flower]]s are soft silky, silvery 3-7 cm long [[catkin]]s, produced in early spring before the new leaves appear; the male and female catkins are on different plants ([[plant sexuality|dioecious]]). The male catkins mature yellow at [[pollen]] release, the female catkins maturing pale green. The [[fruit]] is a small [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] 5-10 mm long containing numerous minute [[seed]]s embedded in fine cottony hairs. The seeds are very small (about 0.2 mm) with the fine hairs aiding dispersal; they require bare [[soil]] to [[Germination|germinate]].<ref name=meikle/><ref name=rushforth>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins. ISBN 0-00-220013-9.</ref>
There are two [[variety (biology)|varieties]]:<ref name=meikle/>
*''Salix caprea'' var. ''caprea''. Lowland regions throughout the range. Leaves thinly hairy above, densely hairy below, 5-12 cm long; stipules persistent until autumn.
*''Salix caprea'' var. ''sphacelata'' (Sm.) Wahlenb. (syn. ''S. caprea'' var. ''coaetanea'' Hartm.; ''S. coaetanea'' (Hartm.) Floderus). High altitudes in the mountains of central and northern Europe (Alps, Carpathians, Scotland, Scandinavia). Leaves densely silky-hairy on both sides, 3-7 cm long; stipules early deciduous.
The scientific name, and the common name Goat Willow, probably derive from the first known illustration of the species in [[Hieronymus Bock]]'s 1546 [[Herbal]], where the plant is shown being browsed by a [[goat]]. The species was historically also widely used as a browse for goats, to which Bock's illustration may refer.<ref name=bean>Bean, W. J. (1980). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles''. ISBN 0-7195-2428-8.</ref>
===Ecology===
[[Image:Salix caprea catkin1 ies.jpg|thumb|left|Male catkins]]
''Salix caprea'' occurs both in wet environments, such as riverbanks and lake shores, and in drier sites, wherever bare soil becomes available due to ground disturbance.<ref name=meikle/>
[[Hybrid]]s with several other willow species are common, notably with ''[[Salix cinerea]]'' (''S. × reichardtii''), ''[[Salix aurita]]'' (''S. × multinervis''), ''[[Salix viminalis]]'' (''S. × smithiana''), and ''[[Salix purpurea]]'' (''S. × sordida''). Populations of ''Salix caprea'' often show hybrid introgression.<ref name=meikle/><ref name=rushforth/>
Unlike almost all other willows, pure specimens of ''Salix caprea'' do not take root readily from cuttings; if a willow resembling the species does root easily, it is probably a hybrid with another species of willow.<ref name=rushforth/>
The leaves are used as a food resource by several species of [[List of Lepidoptera which feed on Willows|Lepidoptera]], and are also commonly eaten by browsing [[mammal]]s.
===Cultivation and uses===
A small number of [[cultivar]]s have been selected for garden use. The commonest is ''S. caprea'' 'Kilmarnock', with stiffly pendulous shoots, forming a mop-head; it is a male clone. A similar female clone is ''S. caprea'' 'Weeping Sally'. As they do not root from cuttings, they are [[grafting|grafted]] on erect stems of other willows; the height of these cultivars is determined by the height at which the graft is made.<ref name=rushforth/>
Both [[tannin]] and [[salicin]] can be extracted from Goat Willow bark. The tree is not considered a good source of [[timber]] as its wood is both brittle and known to crackle violently if burned.
As with the closely related ''[[Salix discolor]]'' (American Pussy Willow), it is also often grown for cut flowers. See [[Pussy Willow]] for further cultural information and uses, which apply to both species.
==References==
<References/>
{{Commons|Salix caprea}}
[[Category:Salicaceae|Willow, Goat]]
{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Salix caprea''
| status = LR/lc
| image = Salix caprea8.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = Goat Willow male catkins
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Malpighiales]]
| familia = [[Salicaceae]]
| genus = ''[[Willow|Salix]]''
| species = '''''S. caprea'''''
| binomial = ''Salix caprea''
| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
}}
'''''Salix caprea''''' ('''Goat Willow''', also known as the '''Pussy Willow''' or '''Great Sallow'''), is a common species of [[willow]] native to [[Europe]] and western and central [[Asia]].<ref name=meikle>Meikle, R. D. (1984). ''Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland''. BSBI Handbook 4. ISBN 0-901158-07-0.</ref>
It is a [[deciduous]] [[shrub]] or small [[tree]], reaching a height of 6-12 m, rarely to 20 m. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 3-12 cm long and from 2-8 cm wide, broader than most other willows. The [[flower]]s are soft silky, silvery 3-7 cm long [[catkin]]s, produced in early spring before the new leaves appear; the male and female catkins are on different plants ([[plant sexuality|dioecious]]). The male catkins mature yellow at [[pollen]] release, the female catkins maturing pale green. The [[fruit]] is a small [[capsule (fruit)|capsule]] 5-10 mm long containing numerous minute [[seed]]s embedded in fine cottony hairs. The seeds are very small (about 0.2 mm) with the fine hairs aiding dispersal; they require bare [[soil]] to [[Germination|germinate]].<ref name=meikle/><ref name=rushforth>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins. ISBN 0-00-220013-9.</ref>
There are two [[variety (biology)|varieties]]:<ref name=meikle/>
*''Salix caprea'' var. ''caprea''. Lowland regions throughout the range. Leaves thinly hairy above, densely hairy below, 5-12 cm long; stipules persistent until autumn.
*''Salix caprea'' var. ''sphacelata'' (Sm.) Wahlenb. (syn. ''S. caprea'' var. ''coaetanea'' Hartm.; ''S. coaetanea'' (Hartm.) Floderus). High altitudes in the mountains of central and northern Europe (Alps, Carpathians, Scotland, Scandinavia). Leaves densely silky-hairy on both sides, 3-7 cm long; stipules early deciduous.
The scientific name, and the common name Goat Willow, probably derive from the first known illustration of the species in [[Hieronymus Bock]]'s 1546 [[Herbal]], where the plant is shown being browsed by a [[goat]]. The species was historically also widely used as a browse for goats, to which Bock's illustration may refer.<ref name=bean>Bean, W. J. (1980). ''Trees and Shrubs Hardy in the British Isles''. ISBN 0-7195-2428-8.</ref>
===Ecology===
[[Image:Salix caprea catkin1 ies.jpg|thumb|left|Male catkins]]
''Salix caprea'' occurs both in wet environments, such as riverbanks and lake shores, and in drier sites, wherever bare soil becomes available due to ground disturbance.<ref name=meikle/>
[[Hybrid]]s with several other willow species are common, notably with ''[[Salix cinerea]]'' (''S. × reichardtii''), ''[[Salix aurita]]'' (''S. × multinervis''), ''[[Salix viminalis]]'' (''S. × smithiana''), and ''[[Salix purpurea]]'' (''S. × sordida''). Populations of ''Salix caprea'' often show hybrid introgression.<ref name=meikle/><ref name=rushforth/>
Unlike almost all other willows, pure specimens of ''Salix caprea'' do not take root readily from cuttings; if a willow resembling the species does root easily, it is probably a hybrid with another species of willow.<ref name=rushforth/>
The leaves are used as a food resource by several species of [[List of Lepidoptera which feed on Willows|Lepidoptera]], and are also commonly eaten by browsing [[mammal]]s.
===Cultivation and uses===
A small number of [[cultivar]]s have been selected for garden use. The commonest is ''S. caprea'' 'Kilmarnock', with stiffly pendulous shoots, forming a mop-head; it is a male clone. A similar female clone is ''S. caprea'' 'Weeping Sally'. As they do not root from cuttings, they are [[grafting|grafted]] on erect stems of other willows; the height of these cultivars is determined by the height at which the graft is made.<ref name=rushforth/>
Both [[tannin]] and [[salicin]] can be extracted from Goat Willow bark. The tree is not considered a good source of [[timber]] as its wood is both brittle and known to crackle violently if burned.
As with the closely related ''[[Salix discolor]]'' (American Pussy Willow), it is also often grown for cut flowers. See [[Pussy Willow]] for further cultural information and uses, which apply to both species.
==References==
<References/>
{{Commons|Salix caprea}}
[[Category:Salicaceae|Willow, Goat]]
