black willow
Salix nigra
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Form and Habitat
black willow: form & habitat black willow: form & habitat
Leaves
black willow leaves black willow leaves black willow leaf: upper surface black willow leaf: lower surface black willow leaf: lower surface black willow leaf: lower surface
Twigs
black willow twig black willow twig
Bark
black willow bark black willow bark
Flowers
black willow: female flowers black willow: female flowers black willow: female flowers black willow: male flowers black willow: male flowers black willow: male flowers
Fruit
black willow: fruit & seeds black willow: fruit & seeds black willow: fruit & seeds
  • FAMILY: SALICACEAE
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:
  • LEAVES: alternate, simple, deciduous; lanceolate, 3-6” long x 1/8-3/4” wide; serrated margins, 20-24 teeth to the inch, red glands on the teeth
  • FLOWER: dioecious, catkins, flowers in February to March
  • FRUIT: capsules on drooping stalks; maturing in late spring
  • TWIGS: slender twigs, buds enclosed in a single scale
  • BARK: thick, dark, deeply furrowed
  • FORM: large tree, 80-100 feet; fast growing
  • HABITAT: river banks, battures, floodplains
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION: Obligate Wetland (OBL): Almost always occurs in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
  • RANGE: eastern North America
  • USES: pulp, but bark causes problems; pallets, low quality uses; river stabilization; wildlife browse
    • Best Recognition Features:
    1. lanceolate leaves to 3/4 inch-wide
    2. 20-24 teeth per inch
    3. large tree with non-drooping branches

    NOTES: weeping willow (Salix babylonica) is similar but has drooping branches and has a spreading crown; an exotic from China
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