Indian Willow is a medium sized tree of wet and swampy places, shedding the leaves at the end of monsoon. It flowers after leafing. The bark is rough, with deep, vertical fissures. The young shoots and young leaves are silky. The leaves are lance-like, or ovate-lancelike, 8-15 cm long, with minutely and regularly toothed margins. The male sweet scented catkins are 5-10 cm long, and are borne on leafy branchlets. The female catkins are 8-12 cms long. The capsules are long, stipulate, in groups of 3 to 4. In Manipur, in NE India, the new flowers of Indian Willow, locally known as ঊযুম (Ooyum), lightly boiled and mixed with mashed boiled potatoes, and are considered delcicious. Flowering: January-February.