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Black Willow
Scientific Name:
Salix nigra
Type:
Tree
Habitat:
Stream banks, ditches, low ground wet soil areas
Range:
Varies greatly across North America, reaching Canada to Mexico; often found in the south through much of the eastern and midwestern United States, but it has also been found in the western states such as California and Utah
Status:
No listed status
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
As a member of the Willow family, this tree grows rapidly up to 60 feet high. Its leaves are known to be lengthy and narrow, reaching up to five inches. The leaves are a green to yellow color, while the bark of the tree is a grey-brown. This beautiful tree is also known to have green to yellow catkins which are cylindrical flowers that often have no petals.
Fast Facts:
This tree is often used commercially to produce items such as boxes, furniture, and construction materials. Most of the lumber actually comes from the Mississippi River.
The Black Willow is also recognized as a special value to bees across North America due to its pollination and attraction for large numbers of bees.
Black willows can be found lining the riverbanks of the Truckee River.
Sources:
United States Department of Agriculture, Black Willow, 2010, https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home/plantProfile?symbol=SANI
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Salix Nigra, 2015, https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SANI
Red List, Black Willow, 2017, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61960325/61960328#threats
iNatrualist, Black Willow, 2021, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=table&taxon_id=54847
Image: Bruce Martin, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salix_nigra_Morton_180-88-3.jpg, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Crystal Sutton (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)