Salix aurita (Eared Willow) is a species of willow native to Europe, and is distributed over much of the continent.
Eared Willow is considered to be a shrub rather than a tree, and can reach 3 metres in height, with stems up to 20cm in diameter. It is usually round and bushy in shape, with multiple stems spreading out at, or close to, ground level. The bark is smooth and grey, although older individuals can have large cracks or splits running longitudinally on the stems. The twigs are dark reddish-brown in colour, and the scales which cover the buds are yellow-brown and darker at their tips. Eared willow is deciduous, meaning it is leafless in winter, and the new leaves first appear in April or early May. The leaves are grey-green in colour, and are wrinkled in texture. They are slightly hairy, especially on the underside of the leaf. The leaves are elliptic or lanceolate, meaning lance-like, in shape, and the widest point is closer to the tip than the base of the leaf. The leaves measure up to 4 or occasionally 6 cm in length and 3 or sometimes 4 cm in width. The most distinctive feature is the 'ears' or stipules which give the species its common name. These are small leafy appendages that are somewhat ear-like in shape, which grow on each side of the leaf stem, near the base of, but separate from, the leaf itself. The leaves turn yellow in October before being shed for the winter.