Family: willows (Salicaceae)
Flowering time: April–May
Size: up to 6 m
Habitat: forests, clearings, rocky slopes and riverbanks
The large-leaved willow (Salix appendiculata) grows into a shrub or tree that flowers at a time when silky-haired leaf buds are already developing. The young leaves are also silky-haired. Later the leaves on the underside are downy, while the upper surface is bare and somewhat shiny. Leaves are obovate to lanceolate and are 6–12 cm long in summer. The usually wavy leaf margin is coarsely serrated. At the base of the leaf there are two large stipules, which are 1–2 cm wide. The female flowers are 2–3 cm long. The male flowers consist of two parts: a hairy base, a stamen and one two-colored bract. If we peel the wood of the broad-leaved willow, we notice that its wood is without grain lines (ridges).
It is common in the Alpine, subalpine and Dinaric world; elsewhere in Slovenia it is quite rare.
