White willow is a medium to large deciduous tree growing up to 10–30 m tall, with a trunk up to 1 m diameter and an irregular, often-leaning crown. The bark is grey-brown and is deeply fissured in older trees. The shoots in the typical species are grey-brown to green-brown. The leaves are paler than most other willows because they are covered with very fine, silky white hairs, in particular on the underside.