Description

Leaves: Alternate; simple; pale or bluish beneath; finely serrate margin; lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate; 2" to 5" long, 3/4" to 1" wide; deciduous; more abruptly pointed than black willow; petiole short.

Twigs/buds: Twigs slender to stout; often brittle; yellow or brownish.  No terminal bud; lateral buds red-brown, small, covered by a single cap-like scale.

Flowers/fruit: Dioecious. Fruit a capsule; about 1/4" long; short-stalked; many capsules attached to a stalk several inches long; seeds very small, hairy.

Bark: Brown-red; fairly thick; intertwining ridges.

Wood: Unimportant; see black willow for general characteristics.

General: Native throughout much of the northern U.S. and southern Canada, including northern Utah. Generally shrubby or a small tree.  Like all willows, likes wet areas very near streams or lakes.  Very shade intolerant.

Landscape Use: Rarely if ever planted in landscapes and no cultivars are available.  Only recommended for sites well-suited for willows and where native plants are a high priority.  Zones 2-8.

Comments & Limitations:  Weak wood and/or branch structure.  Prefers abundant water.

Characteristics