Why are pussy willows all males?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

March 13, 2003

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The pussy willow (Salix discolor Muhlenberg) is native to moist habitats of Canada and the northern U.S. The shrub is a herald of spring, usually the first to expand its buds. Pussy willows flower before leafing. In late February or March, branches of pussy willow are brought indoors and placed in vases. The 'forced' buds expand into soft, silvery-gray 'pussy-toes'.

French Pink Pussy Willow Earliest Spring Color! Whiplike branches are lined with pink-and-white catkins in early spring. French Pink Pussy Willow can be forced to bloom even earlier indoors. Grows 8-15 feet tall. Best planted in full sun and moist soil. Zones: 4 - 9 (-20° F.) Click here - $20 off your first order at Gurneys! [Shrubs, Hedges & Grasses!]

Willows (Salix species) are dioecious, staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers are borne on separate plants. The flowers are reduced and have no need for showy petals to attract insects for pollination. Willows generally bloom long before most insects are active; they depend on blustery spring winds for pollination.

The greatly reduced flowers are packed closely together along a small raceme called an ament or catkin. According to Webster's Ninth New Collegiate (1990), the name, catkin, derives from the appearance of the inflorescence—like a cat's tail.

The female shrubs are never intentionally planted; the inflorescence is green and spiky. Each flower on the ament produces a single seed with a tuft of cottony fibers. The female shrub becomes covered with masses of the fibers. The ripe seeds are not released and must be broken from the mother plant usually by strong winds dragging on the fibers. This process ensures the seeds will be dispersed over a great distance.

Horticulturally speaking, "pussy willow" refers only to the male shrub. The pussy-toes along the branches are the immature aments of staminate (male) flowers. When the catkin is fully expanded, yellow stamens emerge from between the silvery scales.

The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center of the US Geological Survey has close-up photographs of the pistillate (left) and staminate (right) catkins of pussy willow. To view the photographs, click on the link:

http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/mnplant/sadi.htm

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