The side shoots of this species break away easily with an audible crack, hence its common name, but its slender stems are quite flexible and are used by basket-makers and weavers.

An archaeophyte in Britain and Ireland, but a widespread native across north-west Europe.

Dioecious, insect-pollinated and wind-dispersed, with often-sterile seeds. Snapped twigs carried by water lodge in soft mud and readily root. Its taxonomy is complex and disputed; it readily hybridises with other willows, especially White Willow, while a hybrid with Eastern Crack Willow (Salix euxina) from Turkey is more commonly planted (S. × fragilis).

To 25m, with a short trunk and wide-spreading, erect branches. Bark dark brown, deeply fissured. Leaves lanceolate (slender, to 15cm), glabrous, glossy green with a blue-green underside, finely serrate. Twigs snap easily at junctions. Both sexes bear modest spring catkins. White Willow differs: taller, weeping branch tips, less brittle twigs, silky-haired leaves; a taller Crack Willow-like tree may be a hybrid.

Very easily propagated by taking cuttings. Grows by rivers, canals and lakes. Historically pollarded to yield willow rods for weaving, and foliage used to feed livestock.

A valuable early source of pollen in spring for insects. Old pollarded trees can host secondary tree species, especially hawthorns, whose roots feed on the rotting willow trunk. Where introduced, sometimes considered invasive.

Watermark disease, anthracnose, scab and rusts.

Important for ecological restoration, including protecting riverbanks from erosion. Familiar in the landscape alongside watercourses.