Salix discolor

American Pussy Willow, Pussy Willow

Message of the Flower

The Future

The Mother’s Comment

A promise not yet realised.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

When you come to the Yoga, you must be ready to have all your mental buildings and all your vital scaffoldings shattered to pieces. You must be prepared to be suspended in the air with nothing to support you except your faith. You will have to forget your past self and its clingings altogether, to pluck it out of your consciousness and be born anew, free from every kind of bondage. Think not of what you were, but of what you aspire to be; be altogether in what you want to realise. Turn from your dead past and look straight towards the future.

The Mother, Questions and Answers 1929 - 1931: 9 June 1929

Colour

Pearl grey to bright yellow

Family

Salicaceae

Person who named the flower

Muhlenberg

Flower Size

Up to 2 inches long (catkins)

Flower Texture

Fuzzy, soft

Number of Petals

Lacks true petals; part of catkins

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Mild to non-existent

Leaf Texture

Smooth with fine hairs

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate

Leaf Color

Green, yellow in fall

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Shrub or small tree

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Early spring

Climate

Temperate

Water Requirements

Moderate to high, prefers moist conditions

Soil Type

Adaptable, prefers wet, well-drained soils

Temperature Ranges

Hardy in cold climates, tolerates below freezing

Sun or Shade

Full sun to partial shade

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Willow beetle, fungal infections

Pollinators

Bees, early-spring pollinators

Habitat

Wetlands, along waterways in North America

Role in the Ecosystem

Nectar for pollinators, habitat for wildlife

Quotations

Symbolizes softness and gentleness

Ornamental

Decorative catkins, early spring bloom

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Land reclamation, stabilization

Endangered Status

Not endangered