Salix canariensis

A dioecious tree that can exceed 10 m in height and, like the mastic tree, is deciduous in autumn (although not all its leaves always fall). Its lanceolate leaves are light green on the upper surface and whitish-hairy on the underside, where reddish galls from punctures are often visible. The flowers generally appear before the leaves. They are unisexual, very small, naked (without calyx or corolla), and arranged in catkins (similar to spikes but with a more flexuous axis), the male ones being more showy. The fruit is a capsule containing green seeds with silky hairs. This species is endemic to Macaronesia. It is a bioindicator of water availability.