The male catkins are yellow and oval-shaped; the female catkins are longer and more cylindrical; they mature in early summer when the fruit capsules split open to release the numerous minute seeds.

As a cultivated or naturalised plant, it is widespread throughout both Britain and Ireland, but only at lower altitudes.

In his History of the Peloponnesian War, the ancient historian Thucydides describes using osier in 425 BCE to construct makeshift shields.

Other uses occur in energy forestry,[3] effluent treatment, wastewater gardens,[7] and cadmium phytoremediation for water purification.

[5] Salix viminalis is a known hyperaccumulator of cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, petroleum hydrocarbons, organic solvents, MTBE, TCE and byproducts, selenium, silver, uranium, and zinc,[8][9] and as such is a prime candidate for phytoremediation.