Willow is the common name for a small family of woody flowering plants, and for certain trees of its representative genera. The willow family is comprised of about 435 species of willows and poplars, including the aspens and the cottonwoods. Members of the family usually live in moist habitats and in floodplains and riverbanks; they are rapid-growing, and are often the pioneer species to many areas. Their wood is used in many ways, and their leaves supply food for wildlife. Some species are ornamental. The family contains two genera: willow and poplar. Both are widespread in the northern hemisphere; and very few species occur in the southern hemisphere. The 35 or so species of poplar are trees, and the majority of approximately 400 species of willows are shrubs. Willows are particularly abundant and important in the Arctic tundra, where they are low and matlike; they are also found above the timberline on mountains.

Scientific classification: Willows make up the family Salicaceae. The willow genus is Salix. The common osier is classified as Salix viminalis, the weeping willow as Salix babylonica, and the pussywillow as Salix discolor.

Figures 10 & 11   wild rose flower; rose hips in Whispering Woods