Salix purpurea

{{Short description|Species of willow}}

{{Speciesbox

|status = LC

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = {{Cite iucn |title=Salix purpurea |author=Rivers, M.C., Mark, J. & Khela, S. |name-list-style=amp |page= e.T203471A68107793 |date=2017 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T203471A68107793.en |access-date=11 April 2024}}

|image = Salix purpurea 003.jpg

|image_caption = Catkins

|genus = Salix

|species = purpurea

|authority = L.

|subdivision_ranks = Subspecies and forms

|subdivision =

• Salix purpurea subsp. eburnea {{small|(Borzì) Cif. & Giacom. ex S.Pignatti}}
• Salix purpurea f. gracilis {{small|Wimm.}}
• Salix purpurea subsp. leucodermis {{small|Yalt.}}
• Salix purpurea subsp. purpurea

|subdivision_ref = {{cite web |title=Salix purpurea L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:301321-2 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=12 February 2025}}

|synonyms =

• Knafia purpurea {{small|(L.) Opiz}}
• Salix helix var. purpurea {{small|(L.) Lej.}}
• Salix monandra {{small|Ard.}}
• Salix monandra var. purpurea {{small|(L.) Boenn.}}
• Vetrix purpurea {{small|(L.) Raf.}}

|synonyms_ref =

}}

Salix purpurea, the purple willow,{{BSBI 2007 |access-date=2014-10-17}} purpleosier willow,{{PLANTS|id=SAPU2|taxon=Salix purpurea|accessdate=27 October 2015}} or purple osier, is a species of willow native to most of Europe and north to the British Isles, Poland, and the Baltic States,Flora Europaea: [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Salix&SPECIES_XREF=purpurea&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= Salix purpurea]Meikle, R. D. (1984). Willows and Poplars of Great Britain and Ireland. BSBI Handbook No. 4. {{ISBN|0-901158-07-0}}.Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins {{ISBN|0-00-220013-9}}. and Turkey, the Caucasus, and northwestern Africa.

Image:Salix-purpurea-leaves.JPG

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, hence the name of the species (other willows mostly have whitish, yellow or green catkins).

Four subspecies and forms are accepted.

• Salix purpurea subsp. eburnea'' {{small|(Borzì) Cif. & Giacom. ex S.Pignatti}} – Sardinia
• Salix purpurea f. gracilis {{small|Wimm.}} – Belgium, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and Spain
• Salix purpurea subsp. leucodermis {{small|Yalt.}} – Turkey
• Salix purpurea subsp. purpurea – Europe, the Caucasus, Turkey, and northwestern Africa

It is replaced further east in Asia by the closely related species Salix sinopurpurea (syn. S. purpurea var. longipetiolatea).Flora of China: [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200006026 Salix sinopurpurea]

The weeping cultivar 'Pendula' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/97778/i-Salix-purpurea-i-Pendula/Details

| title = RHS Plantfinder - Salix purpurea 'Pendula' | access-date = 12 October 2018}}{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 93 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 12 October 2018}} As with several other willows, the shoots, called withies, are often used in basketry. The wood of this and other willow species is used in making cricket bats.