Flowering shoots of pussy willow,in Spring,smaller species of the genus Salix (willows and sallows), furry catkins, Dalkeith, Scotland, UK
Image details
Contributor:
Tony Smith / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
2A9GHXNFile size:
28.6 MB (1.1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3648 x 2736 px | 30.9 x 23.2 cm | 12.2 x 9.1 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
13 April 2010Location:
Dalkeith, Midlothian, Scotland, UKMore information:
Pussy willow is a name given to many of the smaller species of the genus Salix (willows and sallows) when their furry catkins are young in early spring. These species include (among many others): Goat willow or goat sallow (Salix caprea), a small tree native to northern Europe and northwest Asia. Grey willow or grey sallow (Salix cinerea), a small tree native to northern Europe. American pussy willow (Salix discolor), native to northern North America. Before the male catkins of these species come into full flower they are covered in fine, greyish fur, leading to a fancied likeness to tiny cats, also known as “pussies”. The catkins appear long before the leaves, and are one of the earliest signs of spring. At other times of year trees of most of these species are usually known by their ordinary names. The flowering shoots of pussy willow are used both in Europe and America for spring religious decoration on Palm Sunday, as a replacement for palm branches, which do not grow that far north. Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox; Ruthenian, Polish, Romanian, Czech, Slovak, Bavarian, and Austrian Roman Catholics; Finnish and Baltic Lutherans and Orthodox; and various other Eastern European peoples carry pussy willows on Palm Sunday instead of palm branches. This custom has continued to this day among Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Romanian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Ruthenian Catholic, Ukrainian Catholic, Kashubian Catholic and Polish Catholic émigrés to North America. Sometimes, on Palm Sunday they will bless both palms and pussy willows in church. The branches will often be preserved throughout the year in the family's icon corner. Pussy willow also plays a prominent role in Polish Dyngus Day (Easter Monday) observances, continued also among Polish-Americans, especially in the Buffalo, New York, area.