Leaves are alternate, simple, long and thin.
The black willow is the largest of the willows found in Iowa, attaining
a height of 75 feet and a diameter of 2 feet or more. It has an irregular,
open crown and frequently a cluster of main trunks.
The leaves are narrow (3/8 to 3/4 inch wide) and taper pointed, with long,
sharp curved tips and finely toothed margins. They are shiny light
green above, duller below and often velvety along the midrib.
There are prominentleaf-like stipules at the base of the leaf stem.
The buds are reddishbrown.The twigs are reddish or orange-brown,
slender and brittle.
The fruit is a catkin of small, light reddish brown capsules, 1/8 inch
long, with tufted seeds. On young branches the bark is yellowish to reddish
brown. On larger stems and trunks it is almost black, broadly ridged and
shaggy or scaly.
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